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Without The Moon Earth’s Magnetic Field May Not Be Existed

Do you know how important the earth’s magnetic field is to our existence? Without it, the incoming solar radiation would ruin us. A new study published in the Earth and Planetary Science Letters journal has hinted that the earth’s magnetic field could not be maintained without the moon’s help.

Owen Castellanos
Owen CastellanosHardware & Gaming Reporter
2 min read
Without The Moon Earth’s Magnetic Field May Not Be Existed

Do you know how important the earth’s magnetic field is to our existence? Without it, the incoming solar radiation would ruin us. A new study published in the Earth and Planetary Science Letters journal has hinted that the earth’s magnetic field could not be maintained without the moon’s help.

Although not fully comprehended, the science of the Earth’s magnetic field already confirms that the field hails from the earth’s outer core that has hot metallic liquid. The intense heat released from the core of the earth to the surface creates a series of convectional currents in the outer core. It is this movement of magnetic objects that produces a very intense magnetic field.

READ ALSO: The Earth’s Oceans Will Have More Plastic Than Fish by 2050

When solar wind is released from the sun towards the earth, it is the magnetic field that repels it. Otherwise, it would interfere with the earth’s atmosphere and wipe away life.For there to be consistent convectional currents created in the outer core of the planet, there must be a huge heat difference from the inner core to the outer core. Then this still has to continue between the outer core and mantle.

There is no consensus as to how much the earth’s depths have cooled with since it began to exist around 4.54 billion years back. Some claim that it has cooled by about 572 degrees Fahrenheit. Others claim it has gradually cooled from 12,272 degrees F to 6, 872 degrees F. This means that conventional currents are not producing the Earth’s magnetic field.

What could it be then? Scientists suggest it could be the moon. Though weak, the moon’s gravitational pull on the planet could be sending tides too deep in the outer core, disturbing its liquid contents.

Observations show that the moon still produces about a trillion watts in the outer core of the earth.

This is enough power to cause consistent and efficient convection in the outer core. And this means that the moon, along with the liquid metallic core, could be maintaining the magnetic field that life could not exist without.

Research File; ScienceDirect.com

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Owen Castellanos

Owen Castellanos

Hardware & Gaming Reporter

Owen Castellanos is the Hardware & Gaming Reporter at TrendinTech, where he tests graphics cards, processors, consoles and peripherals and follows the games industry, from the major publishers to independent studios. He previously wrote reviews and benchmarks for Tom's Hardware and contributed features to PC Gamer, covering everything from laptop testing to the economics of game development. Owen holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and attends CES in Las Vegas, Computex in Taipei and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco each year to meet chipmakers and developers. He writes for readers who want to know whether a product is worth the money, and he is not shy about saying when it is not.

All stories by Owen Castellanos (252)