Thermal Conductivity Of Earth Research Articles

Sustaining Earth’s magnetic dynamo

Earth’s magnetic field is generated by fluid motions in the outer core. This geodynamo has operated for over 3.4 billion years. However, the mechanism that has sustained the geodynamo for over 75% of Earth’s history remains debated. In this Review, we assess the mechanisms proposed to drive the geodynamo (precession, tides and convection) and their ability to match geomagnetic and palaeomagnetic observations. Flows driven by precession are too weak to drive the geodynamo. Flows driven by tides could have been strong enough in the early Earth, before 1.5 billion years ago, when tidal deformation and Earth’s spin rate were larger than they are today. Evidence that the thermal conductivity of Earth’s core could be as high as 250 W m−1 K−1 calls the ability of convection to maintain the dynamo for over 3.4 billion years into question. Yet, convection could supply enough power to sustain a long-lived geodynamo if the thermal conductivity is lower than 100 W m−1 K−1. Exsolution of light elements from the core increases this upper conductivity limit by 15% to 200%, based on the exsolution rates reported so far. Convection, possibly aided by the exsolution of light elements, remains the mechanism most likely to have sustained the geodynamo. The light-element exsolution rate, which remains poorly constrained, should be further investigated.

Electrical and thermal conductivity of Earth’s core and its thermal evolution—A review

Electrical and thermal conductivity of Earth’s core and its thermal evolution—A review

Dark Matter that Interacts with Baryons: Density Distribution within the Earth and New Constraints on the Interaction Cross-section

Abstract For dark matter (DM) particles with masses in the 0.6–6m p range, we set stringent constraints on the interaction cross-sections for scattering with ordinary baryonic matter. These constraints follow from the recognition that such particles can be captured by—and thermalized within—the Earth, leading to a substantial accumulation and concentration of DM that interact with baryons. Here, we discuss the probability that DM intercepted by the Earth will be captured, the number of DM particles thereby accumulated over Earth’s lifetime, the fraction of such particles retained in the face of evaporation, and the density distribution of such particles within the Earth. In the latter context, we note that a previous treatment of the density distribution of DM, presented by Gould and Raffelt and applied subsequently to DM in the Sun, is inconsistent with considerations of hydrostatic equilibrium. Our analysis provides an estimate of the DM particle density at Earth’s surface, which may exceed 1014 cm−3, and leads to constraints on various scattering cross-sections, which are placed by (1) the lifetime of the relativistic proton beam at the Large Hadron Collider; (2) the orbital decay of spacecraft in low Earth orbit; (3) the vaporization rate of cryogenic liquids in well-insulated storage dewars; and (4) the thermal conductivity of Earth’s crust. For the scattering cross-sections that were invoked recently in Barkana’s original explanation for the anomalously deep 21 cm absorption reported by EDGES, DM particle masses in the 0.6–4m p range are excluded.

The Thermal Conductivity of Earth's Core: A Key Geophysical Parameter's Constraints and Uncertainties

The thermal conductivity of iron alloys at high pressures and temperatures is a critical parameter in governing ( a) the present-day heat flow out of Earth's core, ( b) the inferred age of Earth's inner core, and ( c) the thermal evolution of Earth's core and lowermost mantle. It is, however, one of the least well-constrained important geophysical parameters, with current estimates for end-member iron under core-mantle boundary conditions varying by about a factor of 6. Here, the current state of calculations, measurements, and inferences that constrain thermal conductivity at core conditions are reviewed. The applicability of the Wiedemann-Franz law, commonly used to convert electrical resistivity data to thermal conductivity data, is probed: Here, whether the constant of proportionality, the Lorenz number, is constant at extreme conditions is of vital importance. Electron-electron inelastic scattering and increases in Fermi-liquid-like behavior may cause uncertainties in thermal conductivities derived from both first-principles-associated calculations and electrical conductivity measurements. Additional uncertainties include the role of alloying constituents and local magnetic moments of iron in modulating the thermal conductivity. Thus, uncertainties in thermal conductivity remain pervasive, and hence a broad range of core heat flows and inner core ages appear to remain plausible.