# How can the Earth gain or lose weight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-earth-gain-or-lose-weight/174249 "2003-05-10T01:57:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-earth-gain-or-lose-weight/174249/21 "2003-05-10T20:53:17Z")
Not much energy lost from the Earth’s interior- the crust is too good an insulator. Perhaps 40kg of mass equivalent per day (a very rough calculation) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-earth-gain-or-lose-weight/174249/22 "2003-05-10T22:09:03Z")
I do not thnk the earth’s core is cooling. It is kept hot by radioactive decay. If it didn’t I think it would be more solid today than it is (after cooling for the last 3 billion years). ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-earth-gain-or-lose-weight/174249/23 "2003-05-10T23:30:14Z")
Yes, it is kept hot- but it is also emitting heat- eventually the supply of radioactive elements will run out and it will cool down properly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-earth-gain-or-lose-weight/174249.md?page=1)