What would happen to the earth if...?

Question

the centre of the earth started cooling down?

Answer 1

If it would happen it would affect the Earth's magnetic field! And it is slowly cooling down but very very slow! It would take more than billions of years for it to completely cool down!

Answer 2

Probably the whole Earth would freeze

Answer 3

Err...

It is cooling down.

The high temperatures in the center of the earth come from the energy gained by the planet during formation.

That energy is slowly flowing out and driving geology (plate tectonic).

It will eventually cool enough to solidify and thus both plate tectonics and our magnetic field will cease to exist.

This has already happens on Mars, because smaller bodies cool more quickly. Essentially the energy stored is proportional to the volume, but the heat flow out is proportional to the surface area - so the smaller body has a larger surface area relative to its volume than a larger body and thus cools more quickly.

Answer 4

if the centre started to cool then the plates would get smaller and there would be earthquakes that would make all the planet uninhabitable and everyone would die and then the earth would collapse on itself.

Answer 5

All h**l would break loose!

Answer 6

Fewer earthquakes, fewer volcanic eruptions and geysers, less movement of the continents, and possibly the extinction of many less hardy species of plant and animal life.

Answer 7

It has been cooling down since the Earth was formed.

Answer 8

The dynamo at the center would harden and stop. This would end the magnetic field.

Answer 9

It is very doubtful that the center of the earth would ever cool down to a level that would affect anything.  Enormous pressure is what generates the geothermic energy that heats our planets core, and as long as long as that pressure remains, so will the temperature.

Scientists have long underestimated how hot it really gets the further you go down.  Most astrophysicists believe the earth's atmosphere will actually maintain a temperature of 140 degrees kelvin if the sun were to ever just blink out of existence and cease heating the earth, due to the enormous geothermic energy within our planet.

I suggest reading up on a russian research project started back in the 1960's and continuing to this very day, called the "Kola Superdeep Borehole" for more information.  

Answer 10

our atmosphere would disappear

the electromagnetic field produced by the molten iron rubbing against itsself at the center of the earth sheilds us from solar/stellar radiation, and prevents solar winds from just blowing our atmosphere off into space....

without that field earth would become very reminiscent of mars.... and of course, there's no life on mars is there? it would be the same for us. no hope of any life, period. anything not killed by the lack of oxygen and possibly water, woudl be killed by intensive ammounts of solar radiation.

Answer 11

Chuck Norris would have to round house kick it into the sun.

Answer 12

the human race would die