- Earth is filled with many mysteries that we are yet to unravel and in 1936, its discovered that the structure of Earth’s deep core has remained a mystery.
- Physicists thought it was solid at first, but a new study reveals it’s a mix of solid and liquid.
- Such research has the potential to reveal some, but not all, of our planet’s darkest secrets, and Earth, has also been the topic of many scientific inquiries, but due to its extremely high temperatures and pressure, it is inaccessible to researchers to sample and examine.
Compared to many other solar systems, Earth has many mysterious discoveries that are yet to be revealed. Earth contains so many attributes and functions that are the subject of many queries from the scientist. It is an official statement that Earth’s inner core is solid.
S-waves could not travel through this region, but pressure waves did and could be detected at the surface, the liquid nature of the inner core was established early in the development of global seismology.
S-waves are shear waves, and most liquids do not support shear pressures. The solid inner core was determined from phase relationships and the core’s temperatures and pressures, which reveal the core steadily crystallizing from the center out.
Earth’s inner and outer core is formed of an iron and nickel alloy. Although the inner core is exceptionally heated, it is solid due to the extremely high pressure. To solidify the heat, the pressure is insufficient for the outer core. Temperature and pressure rise as one descends further into the Earth.
Why is the inner core solid?
The Earth’s inner core is solid, but the outer core is liquid if both regions have a very high temperature. The inner core is solid because it is composed of dense or heavy elements such as iron and nickel.
The outer core is solid because the average magnetic field strength in the Earth’s outer core was calculated to be 2.5 million Tesla, which is 50 times higher than the magnetic field at the surface. The outer core is not as pressurized for solid. Therefore, it is liquid while having the same composition as the inner core.
Even when extremely high temperatures, some materials do not melt and thus remain solid. It turns out that many materials can solidify at greater temperatures if the pressure is likewise elevated.
What makes the Inner core and Outer core different?
The inner and outer cores are chemically similar both are mainly iron with a bit of nickel and other chemical elements; the only difference is that the outer core is liquid while the inner core is solid.
As a result, scientists have calculated the density of different regions of the Earth’s core, mantle, and crust by observing different seismic waves from several earthquakes around the world. It’s based on the waves which are passed through the cores easily.
The pressures and temperatures in the inner core are so high that the metals are packed together and unable to move like a liquid, forcing them to vibrate instead of solidifying.
What does the outer core perform or do?
The outer core is the third layer of the Earth. The outer core is in charge of the Earth’s magnetic field. The iron inside Earth’s liquid outer core flows about as it rotates on its axis. Powerful electric currents form in the liquid iron due to the movement.
What’s common in the inner core and outer core?
The Earth’s core comprises a solid inner core and a liquid outer core that is primarily comprised of iron. Outside of these areas is the mantle, followed by the crust, on which humans live. Earth scientists believe that the Earth’s core controls the planet’s magnetic field and plate tectonics
