Tectonics and Magma

Although researchers hold sharply contradictory viewpoints regarding the cardinal problems of tectonics, most agree on one issue: the main energy source determining the geological development of the Earth is the internal heat of the planet. Of all the geological phenomena, the heat flow through the Earth’s surface is the most significant from the point of view of energy, since the heat conveyed through it in unit time (about 10 21 J/year for the entire Earth) is 10-100 times more than the energy released during volcanic eruptions and seismic shocks. The largest geological catastrophes are of a second order in magnitude in terms of energy released. Also, the tectonic processes, such as the injection of intrusions, upliftment or downbuckling of the Earth’s surface, earthquakes and other like phenomena, are mechanical processes in their physical manifestation. If the internal energy of the Earth serves as the main source of endogenetic processes, then a mechanism must exist for converting the heat of the planet into mechanical work.