The outer core of Earth is a fluid shell composed primarily of liquid iron with a significant fraction of nickel and lighter elements (e.g., S, O, Si), extending from the base of the mantle at ~2,890 km depth to the solid inner core at ~5,150 km. Its temperature and pressure conditions exceed the melting point of core alloys, maintaining a convecting metallic liquid that efficiently conducts electricity. This convection, strongly influenced by Earth’s rotation and compositional buoyancy from inner-core solidification, drives the geodynamo that generates and sustains Earth’s global magnetic field.
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