Where does heat come

from?
About 4.5 billion years ago, Earth and the other
planets in the solar system first began to take shape
as countless smaller bodies collided and clumped
together. Most of Earth’s internal heat is left over
from when our planet is formed.
• Process of earths internal
heat
A process known as radioactive decay that releases
energy. This radioactive decay in earths crust and
mantle continuously add heat and slows the cooling
of earth. A breakdown of certain elements knowns
as radioactive elements such as potassium, uranium,
and thorium.
 • Earth's internal heat has 3
sources

1.) Heat was a left over from its original accretion

from rock, dust, and gasses.

2.) Parts heat up because of potential energy

converted to heat through friction and collision
as accretion progressed.

3.) The decay of radioactive components in the

Earth, mainly uranium.
 • Heat flows 2 different ways within the
Earth
1.) Conduction - Heat
from the Earth's core and
radiation from the Sun is
transferred to the
surface of the Earth by
conduction. In the
process of conduction,
an object heats by being
in physical contact with
another hot object.
2.) Convection - Mantle
convection is the result of
heat transfer from the
core to the base of the
lower mantle. A thermally
driven process where
heating at depth causes
material to expand and
become less dense,
causing it to rise while
being replaced by
complimentary cool
material that sinks.
TRIVIA:
After 4.5 billion years, the inside of the Earth is still
very hot (in the core, approximately 3,800°C –
6,000°C), and we experience phenomena generated
by this heat, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and
mountain building.
There are three main sources of heat in the deep
earth: (1) heat from when the planet formed and
accreted, which has not yet been lost; (2) frictional
heating, caused by denser core material sinking to
the center of the planet; and (3) heat from the
decay of radioactive elements.
While the heat energy produced inside Earth is
enormous, it's 5,000 times less powerful than what
Earth receives from the sun.
How hot is it inside Earth? No one has come close to
exploring Earth’s interior directly but the rate of
travel of waves from earthquakes – called “seismic
waves” – tells scientists a lot about what materials
make
Seismicupdata
the also
planet.
reveal whether these materials
are liquid, solid or partially solid. Meanwhile,
laboratory data indicate at what temperatures and
pressures the materials inside Earth should begin to
melt.