What are two sources that heat the earths mantle?

Answer 1

The mantle has no huge source of heat of itself. The mantle is in continuous convection, and is also conducting heat from the outer core and in turn from the inner core.

In the core materials, themselves mainly nickel and iron, are also many of the heavy radioactive elements. The radioactive decay of these is the ultimate source of the heat of the Earth's Core. It is believed to have a temperature about the same as the surface of the Sun, over 5000 deg C.

Answer 2

The tremendous heat locked into earth's molten core is continually heating the mantle.

Answer:

There are several factors at play. All of these forces emit heat which transfers to the mantle:

• The heat from earth's initial formation is still being emitted
• The decay of radioisotopes gives off heat
• Internal shifting of the Earth's crust and core by the sun's tidal forces

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The Earth's core and mantle would have cooled down by now (4500 million years of cooling) if the heat in the centre were just residual heat from the Earth's formation.

When the Earth was forming and entirely molten, all the heavy elements will have sunk into the core of the planet, separating themselves out into layers of increasing density (this layering would have been disturbed somewhat by convection movements). This would mean that the very heavy radioactive elements would have moved to the core and it is the decay processes of these that is keeping the interior of the earth hot and has been driving plate tectonics and volcanic activity. In essence the planet is a slow fission reactor/bomb.

Also the latent heat of crystallisation of the solid core form the molten core will be releasing heat slowly.

Answer 3

Radioactivity

Answer 4

radio active

Answer 5

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Answer 6

core