Earth may become similar to Mars as planet cools ‘faster than predicted,’ expert
Earth may one day become similar to Mars as the planet's core temperature is cooling at a faster pace than predicted, experts say.
A new study claims Earth may become a barren planet similar to Mercury or Mars after scientists used equipment like seismometers to understand what is going on miles beneath the surface.
Earth has long been called a sister to Mars and scientists believe that Mars once looked a lot like Earth but lost its abundance of water and oceans billions of years ago before it lost its magnetic field early in its life, and then its atmosphere weakened.
A team led by Professor of Experimental Mineral Physics Motohiko Murakami of ETH Zurich, Switzerland discovered that it is cooling down 1.5 times faster than originally predicted using a sophisticated measuring system.
They then pulsed lasers through it to measure its thermal conductivity under the pressure and temperature conditions simulating those of Earth’s insides.
The results showed that Earth was able to radiate so much heat that it was cooling much quicker than anticipated.
Professor Motohiko Murakami said: "This measurement system let us show that the thermal conductivity of bridgmanite is about 1.5 times higher than assumed."
The reason why this is a cause for concern for experts is that, although the process will still take billions of years, the magma under the Earth's crust plays a vital role in our position in orbit around the sun.
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The flowing of liquid metal in the outer core generates electric currents, while Earth's rotation on its axis causes these electric currents to form a magnetic field extending around it, Sputnik News explains.
The magnetic field is vital for sustaining life on this planet and making sure the planet isn't overly exposed to the sun.
Mars doesn’t have flowing liquid metal in its core, its weak magnetic field likely allowing its atmosphere to be stripped away by solar winds.
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