What is inner core and outer core?

What is inner core and outer core?

Inner Core: The innermost part of Earth is the core and is about 1500 miles (2414 km) thick. Outer Core: The outer core, which is liquid, is about 1300 miles (2092 km) thick. Both the inner and outer cores consist primarily of iron and nickel and are extremely hot with temperatures ranging from 7200–9000℉ (4000–5000℃).

What are the differences in characteristics between the outer core and inner core?

The inner core and the outer core are made up of similar stuff chemically (both are made mostly of iron, with a little nickel and some other chemical elements)–the difference between them is that the outer core is liquid and the inner core is solid.

What is one characteristic of the inner core?

A solid mass of iron and nickel. The hottest part of the Earth. Temperatures up to 5,550°C.

What are the key features of the outer core?

The outer core is the third layer of the Earth. It is the only liquid layer, and is mainly made up of the metals iron and nickel, as well as small amounts of other substances. The outer core is responsible for Earth’s magnetic field. As Earth spins on its axis, the iron inside the liquid outer core moves around.

What is inner and outer core made of?

The inner core is mainly iron and is thought to be in the form of huge iron crystals. The outer core is liquid and is mainly an iron/nickel alloy. The core also contains small quantities of heavier elements. The inner core is solid with density up to 13 gm/cc, at the center.

What is outer core short answer?

Earth’s outer core is a fluid layer about 2,400 km (1,500 mi) thick and composed of mostly iron and nickel that lies above Earth’s solid inner core and below its mantle. Its outer boundary lies 2,890 km (1,800 mi) beneath Earth’s surface. Unlike the inner (or solid) core, the outer core is liquid.

What is the best explanation why the inner core solid?

The inner core is solid because it is made of very dense, or heavy, materials – like iron and nickel. Even though it is very hot, these materials don’t “melt” very easily, so they stay solid.

What is meant by inner core?

(planetology) The solid material found in the centre of some planets at extremely high temperature and pressure, distinct from the liquid outer core. (geology) The innermost part of the Earth, believed to be made of a nickel-iron alloy.

What does the inner core do?

Earth’s solid-metal inner core is a key component of the planet, helping to give rise to the magnetic field that protects us from harmful space radiation, but its remoteness from the planet’s surface means that there is much we don’t know about what goes on down there.

Why is the outer core solid?

Earth´s inner core and outer core are both made of an iron-nickel alloy. As you go deeper in the Earth both temperature and pressure increases. Although the inner core is very hot, it is solid because it is experiencing very high pressure. The pressure in the outer core is not high enough to make it solid.

What is the difference between the inner core and outer core?

Inner Core vs Outer Core of the Earth. Now that we have the facts, what’s the difference between the inner core and outer core of the Earth? The earth’s inner core is a solid ball of iron, nickel and other metals, while the outer core is liquid metal composed of iron and nickel as well.

What is the composition of the outer core of Earth?

The layer that surrounds the inner core is known as the outer core of the earth. Composition. The inner core of the earth is a solid mass of iron and nickel and some light elements, e.g., oxygen, sulfur, and silicon, etc. The outer coreof the earth is a layer of iron and nickel.

Why is the inner core of the earth solid?

The reason that the inner core is solid, despite being at very high temperatures, is because of the weight of all the other materials above it (crust, mantle, and outer core). The pressure of these layers keeps the inner core solid.

What would happen if the earth’s core were not metal?

If Earth’s core were not metal, the planet would not have a magnetic field. Metals such as iron are magnetic, but rock, which makes up the mantle and crust, is not. Scientists know that the outer core is liquid and the inner core is solid because: S-waves do not go through the outer core.