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>Geothermal energy was stored back during the formation of the planet "Nuclear Fission Confirmed as Source of More than Half of Earth's Heat" http://blogs.sci

• JBReefer 11y ago
  That's talking about radioactive decay, not fission. The article doesn't do a great job distinguishing between the two, but it's _not_ talking about the process of splitting atoms. >The new measurements suggest radioactive decay provides more than half of Earth's total heat, estimated at roughly 44 terawatts based on temperatures found at the bottom of deep boreholes into the planet's crust.
  • kaybe 11y ago
    AFAIK nuclear fission also includes radioactive decay, which does split atoms, or at least part of atoms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission
  • dTal 11y ago
    Not only is this pedantic in the context of whether Earth's geothermal energy is "stored" or "generated", it's also wrong. Fission is when an atom breaks into smaller pieces. What is it that you think happens in radioactive decay? From Wikipedia, first line in the article: "...nuclear fission is either a nuclear reaction or a radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts (lighter nuclei)." Why would you assume that Scientific American got such an elementary thing wrong, then post it as an argument without even checking?
  • Retric 11y ago
    Fission is effectively catalyzed radioactive decay from neutrons at the right energy levels. There could be some differences in decay products, but simply waiting will eventually release that energy. http://www.mpoweruk.com/nuclear_theory.htm http://www.mpoweruk.com/nuclear_theory.htm