Does the Earth Have Two Cores?
Posted on January 6, 2009 Comments (1)
Did Earth’s Twin Cores Spark Plate Tectonics?
The idea stems from an ancient, cataclysmic collision that scientists believe occurred when a Mars-sized object hit Earth about 4.45 billion years ago. The young Earth was still so hot that it was mostly molten, and debris flung from the impact is thought to have formed the moon.
Haluk Cetin and Fugen Ozkirim of Murray State University think the core of the Mars-sized object may have been left behind inside Earth, and that it sank down near the original inner core. There the two may still remain, either separate or as conjoined twins, locked in a tight orbit.
Their case is largely circumstantial and speculative, Cetin admitted. “We have no solid evidence yet, and we’re not saying 100 percent that it still exists,” he said. “The interior of Earth is a very hard place to study.”
The ancient collision is a widely accepted phenomenon. But most scientists believe the incredible pressure at the center of the planet would’ve long since pushed the two cores into each other.
I must say two cores seems very far-fetched to me. But it is another great example of the scientific discovery process and an interesting idea.
Related: Himalayas Geology – Drilling to the Center of the Earth – Curious Cat Science and Engineering Search
One Response to “Does the Earth Have Two Cores?”
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January 7th, 2009 @ 12:33 am
How can you prove that? I have always visulized the core chuning like two hot balls. I have no evidence it was caused by a collision. It seemed like it would be the natural reaction of such masses to churn, contained in a shell and moving through space. Gravitational and magnetic forces, kinetic energy and plain old friction are at work here. Pie r round, cornbread r square.