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.
Is there something strange and alien confined deep inside the Earth? Is it trying to break free and escape into the heavens? No, of course not.
Planetary Sciences
Nov 1, 2024
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