FEASIBILITY OF A NUCLEAR-FISSION REACTOR AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH AS THE ENERGY-SOURCE FOR THE GEOMAGNETIC-FIELD

Ideas have previously been advanced suggesting the possibility that ur anium exists within the Earth's core. In the present paper, evidence i s presented for the existence within the Earth's core of substantial q uantities of uranium and thorium. The concept of an accumulation of ur anium in the core of the Earth functioning as a nuclear fission breede r reactor is presented. Means for concentrating actinide elements with in the Earth's core and for separating actinide elements from reactor poisons are disclosed. Nuclear reactor feasibility is demonstrated by Fermi's k(infinity) in excess of unity for times in the geological pas t. The concept that the Earth's geomagnetic dynamo is driven by nuclea r fission energy is discussed as is the concept that the frequent, but irregular, polarity reversals of the geomagnetic field have their ori gins in intermittent nuclear reactor output. Although great uncertaint y exists in estimates of the abundances of the actinide elements in th e core of the Earth and in details of the chemistry of the core, the r esults of the present paper indicate if uranium and thorium exist in t he core of the Earth as elements or compounds, as evidence indicates, the actinides: (1) would be the most dense matter in the Earth; (2) wo uld tend to concentrate at the center of the Earth; (3) would tend to be separated on the basis of density from less dense reactor poisons; and (4) if accumulated 3000 million years ago, would be able to initia te self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reactions which may continue to the present through fuel breeding reactions. The magnitude of avail able nuclear fission energy release throughout geological time is of m ajor geophysical importance and is more than sufficient to power the g eomagnetic field.