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Questions and Answers
What is the role of solar radiation in Earth's energy budget and how does it compare to the contribution of internal heat?
What is the role of solar radiation in Earth's energy budget and how does it compare to the contribution of internal heat?
Solar radiation is the dominant external energy source, contributing 173,000 terawatts (TW) to Earth's total energy budget at the surface. This far outweighs the contribution of Earth's internal heat, which only accounts for 0.03% of the total energy budget.
Explain the sources of Earth's internal heat and their relative contributions to the planet's energy budget.
Explain the sources of Earth's internal heat and their relative contributions to the planet's energy budget.
The two main sources of Earth's internal heat are radiogenic heat produced by the radioactive decay of isotopes in the mantle and crust, and the primordial heat left over from the formation of Earth. These sources contribute roughly equal amounts of heat to the planet, with radiogenic heat estimated to be 47±2 terawatts (TW). Despite its geological significance, Earth's internal heat only contributes 0.03% of Earth's total energy budget at the surface, which is dominated by 173,000 TW of incoming solar radiation.
How does thermal conduction affect the penetration of solar radiation into Earth's crust?
How does thermal conduction affect the penetration of solar radiation into Earth's crust?
On land and at the ocean floor, the sensible heat absorbed from non-reflected insolation flows inward only by means of thermal conduction, and thus penetrates only several tens of centimeters on the daily cycle and only several tens of meters on the annual cycle.
How does Earth's internal heat contribute to geological processes and what are some examples of these processes?
How does Earth's internal heat contribute to geological processes and what are some examples of these processes?
Describe the sources of Earth's internal heat and their contributions to the planet's energy budget.
Describe the sources of Earth's internal heat and their contributions to the planet's energy budget.
Explain the relevance of solar radiation for processes internal to Earth's crust.
Explain the relevance of solar radiation for processes internal to Earth's crust.
What geological processes are powered by Earth's internal heat?
What geological processes are powered by Earth's internal heat?
How does thermal conduction affect the penetration of solar radiation into Earth's crust?
How does thermal conduction affect the penetration of solar radiation into Earth's crust?
What is the significance of Earth's internal heat compared to incoming solar radiation?
What is the significance of Earth's internal heat compared to incoming solar radiation?
What is theorized to sustain a geodynamo which generates Earth's magnetic field?
What is theorized to sustain a geodynamo which generates Earth's magnetic field?
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