Does earth loose its weigh?
Over long periods of time we actually gain more mass from “space dust” and asteroids than we lose from the escape of gases and radioactive decay, but in some years it may be a net loss. Several hundred tons of meteorites enter the Earth’s atmosphere every day. The total amount per year can range from 10 million to 1 billion kilograms. A lot of this is just dust or micrometeorites, but it adds up to a considerable amount. The Earth also loses mass in some ways. All the time, we’re losing light elements, mostly hydrogen, from the atmosphere. But gas escape is not the only way we lose mass. Another way the Earth loses mass is through radioactive decay. The Earth’s interior is peppered with radioactive elements such as uranium, thorium and potassium 40. These radioactive elements are mixed in with other rock. Granite, for example, can contain as much as four grams per ton of uranium and 13 grams per ton of thorium. As these radioactive elements decay, they give off heat and in the process
