Is the Earth's core cooling? How much does Earth's surface temperature depend on core temperature?

[MarathonMike]

It doesn't seem like the Earth's center is cooling very much if at all. I base that on a couple of scientific articles I've read. So if that's true, why isn't it cooling? What maintains the temperature? I don't think it is a fusion process like the Sun, so why isn't it losing heat? At what if it did start losing heat, what would be the effect on our climate?

 

[toobfreak]

It doesn't seem like the Earth's center is cooling very much if at all. I base that on a couple of scientific articles I've read. So if that's true, why isn't it cooling? What maintains the temperature? I don't think it is a fusion process like the Sun, so why isn't it losing heat? At what if it did start losing heat, what would be the effect on our climate?

Of course the Earth's core is cooling. It was heated from the original formation of the Earth and has been slowly cooling ever since as it gives off heat to the mantle, abated slightly by additional heat constantly injected back into it by the radioactive decay of some of the metals within it which offsets most of the cooling leaving the core today at a thermal equilibrium between heat out and heat back into it. But at the surface, the Earth radiates about 500 watts per square meter, but most of that energy comes from the Sun. The core makes a minor contribution, but since the actual temperature of the core is unknown, an exact value is impossible. But eventually someday, the core will grow cold.

 

[beautress]

It doesn't seem like the Earth's center is cooling very much if at all. I base that on a couple of scientific articles I've read. So if that's true, why isn't it cooling? What maintains the temperature? I don't think it is a fusion process like the Sun, so why isn't it losing heat? At what if it did start losing heat, what would be the effect on our climate?

Of course the Earth's core is cooling. It was heated from the original formation of the Earth and has been slowly cooling ever since as it gives off heat to the mantle, abated slightly by additional heat constantly injected back into it by the radioactive decay of some of the metals within it which offsets most of the cooling leaving the core today at a thermal equilibrium between heat out and heat back into it. But at the surface, the Earth radiates about 500 watts per square meter, but most of that energy comes from the Sun. The core makes a minor contribution, but since the actual temperature of the core is unknown, an exact value is impossible. But eventually someday, the core will grow cold.

Doesn't that mean we only have six billion years to get outta Dodge?

 

[blastoff]

It doesn't seem like the Earth's center is cooling very much if at all. I base that on a couple of scientific articles I've read. So if that's true, why isn't it cooling? What maintains the temperature? I don't think it is a fusion process like the Sun, so why isn't it losing heat? At what if it did start losing heat, what would be the effect on our climate?

Oh, my God! Now we’re gonna have to listen to their man-made Inner-Global Core Cooling mumbo jumbo bullshit until we’re all dead in twelve years, or less if our air and water programs really kick in.

 

[MarathonMike]

It doesn't seem like the Earth's center is cooling very much if at all. I base that on a couple of scientific articles I've read. So if that's true, why isn't it cooling? What maintains the temperature? I don't think it is a fusion process like the Sun, so why isn't it losing heat? At what if it did start losing heat, what would be the effect on our climate?

Oh, my God! Now we’re gonna have to listen to their man-made Inner-Global Core Cooling mumbo jumbo bullshit until we’re all dead in twelve years, or less if our air and water programs really kick in.

I think Al Gore and the GW crowd is full of crap. I have no agenda about core cooling. I just don't understand the physics of how the Earth's core is not cooling, at least not very much. Do you know why? If so explain.

 

[Olde Europe]

Al Gore and the GW crowd got it mostly right. The delusional, thoroughly misled Denialingdongs are full of crap.

That said:

Earth's internal heat and other small effects

The geothermal heat flux from the Earth's interior is estimated to be 47 terawatts.[10] This comes to 0.087 watt/square metre, which represents only 0.027% of Earth's total energy budget at the surface, which is dominated by 173,000 terawatts of incoming solar radiation.[11]​

So, the energy emerging from the core (warming the surface) is a negligible 0.027% of the energy budget. A thousand kilometers of rock provide a pretty good insulation, a few minor leaks notwithstanding.

Here's a somewhat longer explanation I found well worth a read.

Also interesting:

Verhoogen gives 5000 K as the core temperature now, and a 250 K cooling since the formation of the Solar System, 4.5 billion years ago. If it really does cool at that rate (55 degrees per billion years), it would take something like 91 billion years to cool to 0 Kelvin.​

That, however, is somewhat unlikely, as the sun in about four to five billion years will gobble up earth.

 

[Crepitus]

It doesn't seem like the Earth's center is cooling very much if at all. I base that on a couple of scientific articles I've read. So if that's true, why isn't it cooling? What maintains the temperature? I don't think it is a fusion process like the Sun, so why isn't it losing heat? At what if it did start losing heat, what would be the effect on our climate?

Radioactive decay. The transuranic ores are heavier than anything else and sink towards the center, concentrating themselves to a certain extent and generating heat as a product of their decay. Just like a nuclear reactor only on a much larger scale.

 

[whitehall]

In case nobody noticed the earth axis shifted at the same time the last Ice Age ended. Nobody can survive another ice age but the gradual warming in a geological time is welcomed. Too bad lefties never have a nice day even on a nice day.

 

[Likkmee]

It doesn't seem like the Earth's center is cooling very much if at all. I base that on a couple of scientific articles I've read. So if that's true, why isn't it cooling? What maintains the temperature? I don't think it is a fusion process like the Sun, so why isn't it losing heat? At what if it did start losing heat, what would be the effect on our climate?

Because it's hollow and has a sun INside