Radioactive material as it relates to Earth

In summary, the geologist suggests that the heat being emitted from the Earth's core comes from friction, not radioactivity.
  • #1
Aquafire
49
1
How long does radiactive material remain radioactive.?

I ask this in light of the issue of Earth's core heating.

It seems to me the radioactivity model has to explain how such material remains seemingly radioactive to this day. 4.5 billion years after the Earth was formed.

Does that defy what we know of material such a uranium etc all of which lose radiactivity over a relatively short period of time compared to the Earth's entire geological history. ?

Or am I mistaken in my understanding of these things ?

Aquafire
 
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  • #2
Good questions Aquafire.

We can explain things for hours talk about Uranium Thorium series, Kalium Argon series, the thermo geo nucleair reactor but in the end the answer is: we don't know we can just speculate. Do you want a higher level of ignorance?
 
  • #3
Originally posted by Andre
Kalium Argon series
Kalium = Potassium :P

What I could find on the net is that the isotope with the longest known half-life is tellur-128 (1.5 E24 years) and with the shortest is radium-216m (7E-9 s = 7 ns). Don't ask me how it is related to the Earth model though :) it just demonstrates the limits.
 
  • #4
About elements with a very long half-life.. this is interesting to consider:

Is it possible that every isotope is radioactive but that decay is so infrequent as to be immeasurable??

-----Original Message-----
From: Jerry Cohen [mailto:jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET]
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2003 11:26 AM
To: John Jacobus; radsafe
Subject: Re: Bismuth breaks half-life record

It is hard for me to conceive of anything with a half-life of ~10^19 years as "radioactive". Given enough time, all matter will eventually decay, since the proton itself is reputed to decay with have a half-life of ~10^31yr. Therefore, in a sense, everything could be considered "radioactive" (i.e. no such thing as a stable element). It is also hard to understand the special dread of long-lived radionuclides given that the longer the half-life, the less radioactive anything is.
To avoid such perceptions, in a paper we gave about 20 years ago, we proposed the radioactive designation be limited to those nuclides with half-lives less than one million years. Those with half-lives between a million and a trillion years would be "radiopassive", and those with a half-life exceeding a trillion years would be designated "radioquiscent".
Somehow, the idea never caught on.
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/0304/msg00357.html [Broken]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #5
Originally posted by Aquafire
How long does radiactive material remain radioactive.?

I ask this in light of the issue of Earth's core heating.

It seems to me the radioactivity model has to explain how such material remains seemingly radioactive to this day. 4.5 billion years after the Earth was formed.

Does that defy what we know of material such a uranium etc all of which lose radiactivity over a relatively short period of time compared to the Earth's entire geological history. ?
A quick goole will tell you the half life of any element (isotope). Have a look at THIS
Uranium 238 - Uranium Series 99.2745% of all natural uranium...4.47 billion years half life
So over the age of the Earth, roughly half of all the U238 that existed at the Earth's formation has decayed.
 
  • #6
AFAIK, the most important elements/isotopes - re heating the Earth - are uranium, thorium and potassium-40. Why? A combination of abundance and long half-life.

Did you know there was once a natural reactor right near the surface of the Earth?
 
  • #7
I ask this in light of the issue of Earth's core heating.

We have had a long discussion of the heating of the Earth core here

I suggested that radio-activity may not necesarily be a (main) player. It could be friction instead. Here is somebody who thinks likewise:

http://www.informnauka.ru/eng/2002/2002-06-28-02_146_e.htm

An Irkutsk geologist has suggested that our planet's heat source is friction in the outer core. The outer core is a huge liquid area, divided into many layers, which move with different speeds in different directions, thus causing friction between them and heat.
 

1. What is radioactive material?

Radioactive material is any substance that contains unstable atomic nuclei, which emit particles and energy in the form of radiation as they decay into more stable forms.

2. How does radioactive material occur naturally on Earth?

Radioactive material is present in varying amounts in the Earth's crust and is a result of natural processes such as the decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium. It can also be found in small amounts in living organisms.

3. What are the potential risks of exposure to radioactive material?

The main risk of exposure to radioactive material is the damage it can cause to living cells, which can lead to health effects such as cancer and genetic mutations. The level of risk depends on the type of radioactive material, the amount and duration of exposure, and the method of exposure (ingestion, inhalation, or external exposure).

4. How is radioactive material used in scientific research and industry?

Radioactive material is used in a variety of ways in scientific research and industry, such as in medical imaging and cancer treatment, power generation, and industrial testing. It is also used in radiocarbon dating to determine the age of archaeological and geological samples.

5. How does radioactive material impact the environment?

Radioactive material can have both positive and negative impacts on the environment. While it can be harmful to living organisms, it also plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth's temperature and supporting life through processes such as photosynthesis. However, improper disposal or accidents involving radioactive material can have detrimental effects on the environment and ecosystems.

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