Georeactor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The georeactor is a proposal by Dr. J. Marvin Herndon that a nuclear fission reactor may exist and operate at the Earth's core and serves as the energy source for the geomagnetic field. Dr. Herndon had earlier proposed the existence of fission reactors at the centers of large gaseous planets such as Jupiter.
For the more accepted theory of how a magnetic field is generated, see Dynamo theory.
Contents |
[edit] Natural nuclear reactors
In the 1970s, geochemists documented the existence of naturally-occurring slow fission reactors in uranium-bearing geologic formations at Oklo in Gabon, Africa. The Oklo natural nuclear fission reactors operated approximately 1.5 to 2.0 billion years ago, when the natural occurrence of the uranium-235 isotope (required for the fission chain-reaction) was much higher.
[edit] Planetary fission reactors
Large, gaseous planets, such as Jupiter, radiate more energy into space than they receive from the Sun. (In the case of Jupiter, the radiated energy is almost twice the received energy.) The source of this energy was originally attributed to gravitational contraction, since gravitational potential energy conversion into heat seemed to be the heat source of sufficient magnitude to account for the quantity of energy released. In 1992, Dr. J. Marvin Herndon, an American nuclear geochemist, postulated that the excess energy could be explained by the existence of a central nuclear reactor. High-density fissile elements (i.e. uranium) would be concentrated at the core and could undergo sustained nuclear fission chain reactions. Herndon demonstrated the feasibility of a planetocentric nuclear reactor using Fermi's nuclear reactor theory, calculations similar to those used in nuclear-reactor design.
[edit] The georeactor
Dr. Herndon subsequently realized that the calculations also permitted the existence of a similar reactor at the Earth's core. Dr. Herndon's calculations depend on certain unconventional assumptions regarding the composition of the core, in particular the oxidation state of uranium and the likelihood of its precipitating to the center. He justifies these assumptions by comparison with the composition of enstatite chondrite meteorites, which do have the necessary highly reduced oxidation states.
Dr. Herndon argues that the georeactor is the energy source for the Earth's magnetic field, and that variations in the strength and direction of the field can be explained by natural variations in the operation of the georeactor.
[edit] Stellar fission reactors
Another possible instance of central nuclear fission may occur in protostars. Ignition of fusion reactions in the cores of stars and protostars requires tremendous temperatures and pressures, which are difficult to attain. Dr. Herndon suggests that the fusion reactions may, in fact, be ignited by a central fission reactor in the same manner that a fusion bomb is triggered by a fission bomb.
[edit] Criticism
Dr. Herndon's theory is not accepted by most geologists. However, Rob de Meijer and associates at the Nuclear Physics Institute in Groningen, the Netherlands, have proposed an experiment to measure the antineutrino flux from the Earth's core which they believe will validate Herndon's hypothesis. At present they are seeking funding for the project, which involves development of an underground laboratory in Curaçao.
The following is taken from a San Francisco Chronicle article by Keay Davidson describing that test[1]:
- One of Herndon's leading critics is planetary scientist David Stevenson of the California Institute of Technology. He says in an e-mail: "Herndon is a solid and knowledgeable person when it comes to (nuclear) reactors. But the amount of attention this (georeactor) idea has received is out of proportion with its plausibility. ... It's not complete nonsense, but it's highly unlikely. There are many instances in science where this happens. This one has merely received more attention than most.
- "The idea is based on two very dubious propositions: (a) That uranium (or any heavy element) would naturally go to the center of the Earth. This is almost certainly untrue. It is a misunderstanding of chemistry and statistical physics at a very fundamental level. (b) That there is something about Earth's heat flow or helium that is so wildly discordant with our usual ideas that it requires an outrageous hypothesis to explain it. This is incorrect."
[edit] Planetary fusion reactions
In seemingly unrelated work, Steven E. Jones of Brigham Young University has speculated on the existence of natural fusion reactions at planetary cores, continuing work initiated by Dr. Paul Palmer (also of BYU) in 1986. Their initial work was also focused on explaining the excess heat given off by Jupiter and then extended to include possible application to Earth. The term geo-fusion is used to describe their theory. Geo-fusion is a form of cold fusion (Although geo-fusion is not the type of room-temperature fusion described by Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann, Jones was working on muon-catalyzed fusion and was intending to publish his results simultaneously with Pons and Fleischmann, at the nearby University of Utah, when they "scooped" him with their public announcement). Jones hypothesizes that geo-fusion is driven by the high pressures present at planetary cores. Jones has suggested that measurements of the levels of tritium released by volcanic processes may provide a possible confirmation of the theory.
[edit] The georeactor in popular fiction
Herndon speculated as to the effects of a possible shutdown of the theoretical fission process in the Earth's core, which was subsequently, without attribution, paralleled in the pulp science fiction book and film from 2003, The Core.
[edit] Sources
- "Nuclear Fission Reactors as Energy Sources for the Giant Outer Planets", Naturwissenschaften 79:7-14, 1992
- J.M. Herndon, "Feasibility of a Nuclear Fission Reactor at the Center of the Earth as the Energy Source for the Geomagnetic Field", Journal of Geomagnetism and Geoelectricity 45: 3423-437, 1993
- Current Biography 64: 45-49, November, 2003
- Discover Magazine, pp 37-42, August, 2002
- "Nuclear Georeactor Origin of Oceanic Basalt 3he/4he, Evidence, and Implications", Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 100 pp. 3047-3050, 18 March 2003
- Davidson, Keay (Nov. 29, 2004). "Scientific maverick's theory on Earth's core up for a test" San Francisco Chronicle
- Jones, S.E. and J. Ellsworth (2003) "Geo-fusion and Cold Nucleosynthesis" Tenth International Conference on Cold Fusion.
- Peat, David E. Cold Fusion: The Making of a Scientific Controversy. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc., 1989. ISBN 0-8092-4243-5.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Nuclear Planet.com Dr. J. Marvin Herndon's Website
