Text and Images from Slide
- Geothermal gradients measured near the surface are higher than in the interior. Temperature is ~1000-1200oC at 100-150 km depth, perhaps 3000-4000oC at the core-mantle boundary, and greater than 5000oC in the inner core.
- Heat sources within Earth include (a) radioactive decay of elements found in the mantle and crust and (b) crystallization of iron in the core.
- The shape of the geothermal gradient relates to (a) the loss of heat at the surface of the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and space; (b) heating of the lower mantle by the core; and (c) increasing temperature with compression of rock at high pressure.
8.5 How hot is the interior of Earth?