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Was the early Earth completely molten?The nature of the interior of the primitive Earth was examined. The question is posted: was the Earth a cold solid or was it a hot liquid, much like a lava lakes seen in today's volcanic cauldrons. The various energy sources available to heat the primitive Earth to see if they are sufficient to cause melting were analyzed. The two largest contributors to the Earth's early heat appear to be the heat due to accretion and the heat of core formation. The Earth formed by the accretion of particles ranging in size from millimeters to hundreds of kilometers and each impact into the protoearth provided more energy to heat the body. It is found that early in the Earth's history, the sinking of iron to the center of the Earth to form the core released a substantial amount of energy; enough to heat the entire Earth an average 2000 deg C. Mechanisms for the removal of such a large amount of heat appear inadequate to prevent substantial melting, and it is assumed that the Earth was completely molten, i.e., a magma ocean at one time early in its history.
Document ID
19840013392
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Turcotte, D. L.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Pflugrath, J. C.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1984
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Inst. 15th Lunar and Planetary Sci. Conf.
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
84N21460
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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