A blazing ball of fire
lies deep underground.
It's Earth's core.
This colossal sphere of molten iron
far beneath your feet
is what made your life on Earth possible.
Or did it?
What if Earth formed
without the scorching core in its center?
Underneath 2,900 km (1,802 mi)
of crust and mantle,
lies the core of our planet.
This mighty ball of molten iron
has a radius of about 3,500 km (2,175 mi)
and temperatures of 10,000 °C (18,032 °F).
That's even hotter than the surface of the Sun.
It was formed during the iron catastrophe,
a major geological event
early in the history of our planet
when Earth was heated to temperatures above the melting point of iron.
Droplets of heavy metals
gravitated toward the center of the planet
while lighter elements rose to the surface
and formed its mantle and crust.
The core's scorching temperatures
are the result of energy left over from the formation of Earth
and nuclear energy from natural radioactive decay.
And it's the motion of the molten metal
of the outer core that is responsible for Earth's magnetic field.
You know, the thing that protects us from harmful cosmic radiation.
So how nasty would things turn here
if Earth formed minus its core?
Well, as you'll see, a world without a core could be disastrous.
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But below the Earth's crust, we're on our own.
In order to form,
planets require iron,
lots of it, to fall toward their center.
Eventually, this iron becomes their core.
Scientists think planets with no core could also exist,
which happens when iron becomes oxidized
and trapped in a planet's silicate mineral crystals or mantle.
In these cases,
the iron doesn't form a core
and the planet goes on with its day-to-day existence
without a scalding hot sphere at its center.
So what would happen if our very own Earth formed like that?
Well, in order to be habitable,
a planet requires warmth and water.
It needs to be sheltered from a young,
violent star like our Sun.
A magnetic field acts as a planet's shelter
and is created when its core cools and solidifies.
Disturbing the liquid iron around it
and sending out electric currents as a result.
So if the Earth formed without its ball of molten iron,
it wouldn't have a magnetic field.
This would expose us to harmful cosmic radiation
and charged particles emitted by our Sun.
We'd also be blasted by ferocious solar winds.
Without its magnetic field,
Earth could lose its atmosphere.
Just look at our nearest neighbor, Mars,
for the repercussions of that.
Long ago Mars did have a strong magnetic field,
but it wasn't meant to last.
The Martian core froze
around 4.2 billion years ago
and that dramatically weakened its magnetic field.
So weak it couldn't keep its atmosphere protected.
Solar winds mercilessly chipped away at it,
slamming into the planet
at speeds reaching approximately 800 km/s (500 mps).
So you could guess what would happen to Earth
if we didn't have a strong magnetic field like we do now.
Instead of being a place warm enough to store salty oceans
where life could thrive,
our world would end up as a cold,
dry and lifeless desert.
If life on this coreless Earth emerged,
it would need to adapt to some extreme changes.
An intense barrage of UV rays
would be a constant threat,
as they could damage your DNA.
Most likely you would have to live underground,
where you'd be less exposed to cosmic radiation.
If you stayed on the surface of a coreless Earth,
you'd constantly see flashes of light,
even with your eyes closed.
“Keep your eyes shut!”
This would be the result of cosmic rays
passing through your retinas.
Without the magnetic field,
some animals, like birds and whales
wouldn't be able to navigate.
All life on Earth would have to adapt
to living in much harsher environments.
But wait, there’s more.
You wouldn't have all the great technology
that relies on our magnetic field.
Yeah, that's right.
Satellites, telecommunications and navigation systems,
none of them would exist.
I don't know about you,
but I'd rather be born on Mars than on a planet with no core.
And you should probably know that
our planet’s core is slowly losing heat.
Eventually,
our hot ball of molten iron
will become solid.
Scientists predict it would take 91 billion years
for the core to go completely solid.
Luckily or not, the Sun would run out of fuel,
expand into the red giant and swallow the Earth
long before its core gets completely cold.
Now the idea of living on Mars seems
much more appealing to me.
But, you know what?
That's a story for another WHAT IF.