Earth’s Core – The Enigma 1,800 Miles Below Us

Killian Donohue                                                                                                                      9.19.12

Earth Science – Ms. Davies                                                                                       Current Events

Citation: Angier, Natalie. "The Enigma 1,800 Miles Below Us." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 May 2012. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/science/earths-core-the-enigma-1800-miles-below-us.html?_r=1>.

Earth’s Core – The Enigma 1,800 Miles Below Us

            Scientists, geologists, and researchers know what we know today about the earth’s core from studying seismic waves generated by earthquakes or even bombs. Bombs are seen as better help of understanding because we know the precise epicenter. The core consists of three parts the outer core, inner core, and the innermost core which consists of pure iron. The Earth’s core is 1,800 miles below us, has pressures of 3.4 millions atmospheres, is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and is a fluid rather than a solid. Scientists are beginning to believe something else must be going on the core that they don’t know about because of the loss in heat. There have been some signs that the inner core is rotating slightly faster than the rest of the planet. Some believe the iron is solidifying, while others believe it stores a massive amount of radioactive material, which is giving off heat. The magnetic field has only existed for 3 billion years and every 100,000 to a million years, the north-south orientation of the magnetosphere reverses, which leads to a weakening of the fields. Finally, the core is gradually shedding some of its stored heat and through convection and conduction are the only ways heat can be transferred. Dr. Alfe concluded that the, “core was losing two to three times as much heat to conduction as previously believed, which would leave too little thermal energy to account for the convective forces that power the Earth’s geodynamo.” Lastly, Dr. Buffett suggests that, “life needs water, and maybe it’s planet does, too.”
            The study of the Earth is not fully clear, because no one has actually reached the center of the Earth, let alone the mantle. Who knows, maybe sometime in the future, we will have the technology and gear to reach the center of the earth, but it would still take centuries. The only way to study it now, is by what the earth provides us, such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Scientists have studied the effects of the magnetic fields and soon the north-south magnetospheres will switch, affecting our lives today. The article suggests that the water we use today from oceans, seas, lakes, etc, may help the Earth balance its thermal budget. What would happen if we used up all of our water, and besides us becoming thirsty, the planet goes thirsty too. To really get more information on how the Earth’s interior can affect our lives, we need to dig deeper into the Earth.
            I found this article very interesting, in that we are still learning so much about our planet, some of which are guesses rather than facts. The article was very detailed in the way it explained the different parts of the core and how the core is working now. I wish it talked more about the magnetospheres reverse because I would want to know more about what would happen when they switch. That’s why for my next current events article I am going to try to read about them rather than the core of the Earth. Lastly, this article laid out the different ways in which scientists and researchers are learning about the core and I hope that eventually sometime in the future, we find a way to dig 1,800 miles into the Earth.