![]() Radioactive decay is a continual process in the core. ![]() Potassium-40 most often decays to isotopes of calcium (calcium-40) and argon (argon-40). As potassium-40 decays, its nucleus changes, emitting enormous amounts of energy (radiation). Potassium, for instance, has 20 neutrons in its nucleus. Isotopes are forms of an element that have a different number of neutrons than regular versions of the element’s atom. However, the vast majority of Earth’s heat is constantly generated by the decay of radioactive isotopes, such as potassium-40 and thorium-232. A small portion of the core’s heat comes from the friction and gravitational pull formed when Earth was created more than 4 billion years ago. About 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) below the Earth’s crust, or surface, is the hottest part of our planet: the core. ( Geo means “earth,” and thermal means “heat” in Greek.) It is a renewable resource that can be harvested for human use. Geothermal energy is heat that is generated within the Earth.
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