Abstract
IN the conventional view of core formation the Earth accreted from a homogeneous mixture of iron and silicates, and the core formed when radioactive heating melted the iron which subsequently drained toward the centre1, the change in gravitational potential energy increasing the average temperature of the Earth by some 2,000 K. In these circumstances core formation would be the major event in the thermal evolution of the Earth2.
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ANDERSON, D., HANKS, T. Formation of the Earth's Core. Nature 237, 387–388 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/237387a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/237387a0
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