14 DAY TRIAL // According to a new series of measurements, it would appear that the magnetic field inside our planet's core is about 50 times stronger than the one we can measure at its surface. This is the first time that such an investigation was conducted.
A team of experts measured this planetary trait at a depth of no less than 1,800 miles (2,896 kilometers) below Earth's surface, and was therefore able to take accurate readings.
Given the discovery, experts say that it may become easier for them to explain the heat sources that play a critical part in a wide array of processes going on in the planetary core.
For the most part, planetary scientists believe that there are three main sources of heat for Earth's interior, but the new findings may help reshape or even change this belief.
Studies have until now showed that elevated temperatures may be supported by residual high temperatures left behind by the planetary formation process, which began some 4.5 billion years ago.
The second source would be the release of gravitational energy. Experts believe this happens when heavy chemicals move further inwards, pushing lighter elements towards the edge of the core.
The third and final source is believed to be the radioactive decay of elements. Some of the long-lived chemicals that release heat when decaying include thorium, uranium and potassium. But the new study suggests that this may not be the whole picture.
“A measurement of the magnetic field tells us what the energy requirements are and what the sources of heat are,” explains the leader of the new research, Bruce A. Buffett, quoted by Space.
The expert holds an appointment as a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at the University of California in Berkeley (UCB). He amazed everyone when he announced that he used the Moon and distant cores of active galaxies called quasars to conduct the research.
Even the smallest changes in the Earth's rotation axis can be detected by radio telescopes, as they observe our planet's motions against a steady background of radio waves emitted by quasars.
At the same time, the data is put in relation to how the Moon exerts its gravitational pull on the planet, and Buffett explains that the approach works extremely well.
“I still find it remarkable that we can look to distant quasars to get insights into the deep interior of our planet,” he explains, adding that such studies could enable us to create better computer models and simulations about how our planet's insides function.
Investigating the magnetic field at the core of the Earth is also important for understanding how the magnetosphere operates. This upper layer of the atmosphere acts as a defense mechanism against the effects of brutal solar flares and other solar radiation.