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- Why does temperature increase with depth?
- Earth cools to space by radiative processes.
- Heat conducts outward from the core into the lower mantle.
- Rocks must heat up when pressure increases.
- When any type of matter is compressed, the heat within is distributed over a smaller volume. So while the "amount" of heat is the same, there is more of it relative to the compressed size.
- Compressive heating is how a diesel engine works.
- Conversely, expanding gas cools (like an aerosol can spraying, the basic principle of air-conditioners).
8.5 How hot is the interior of Earth?