Earth's interior loses heat unevenly due to historical tectonic processes

Researchers from the University of Oslo have published a study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters detailing that Earth's interior loses heat at different rates across its two hemispheres. By analyzing computational models covering the last 400 million years, scientists examined the impact of continental masses on thermal regulation. The study suggests that large landmasses act as thermal blankets, insulating the planet's interior. This process is heavily influenced by the oceanic lithosphere and plate tectonics, where magma emerges to form new seafloor while older crust sinks into the mantle. The researchers divided the Earth into the African and Pacific hemispheres to track these thermal trends. The uneven heat loss is traced back to geological processes dating to the era of the supercontinent Pangea. Ultimately, the Earth's interior is cooling over time, a long-term process that characterizes the planet's evolution.