Why is the inner core solid and the outer core is liquid?

The metallic nickel–iron outer core is liquid because of the high temperature. However, the intense pressure, which increases towards the inner core, dramatically changes the melting point of the nickel–iron, making it solid.

Is the outer core solid liquid or plastic?

Earth’s Outer Core The outer core is the liquid largely iron layer of the earth that lies below the mantle. Geologists have confirmed that the outer core is liquid due to seismic surveys of Earth’s interior. The outer core is 2,300 km thick and goes down to approximately 3,400 km into the earth.

Why is it that the inner core is solid and the outer core is liquid Brainly?

Scientists know that the outer core is liquid and the inner core is solid because S-waves stop at the inner core. The strong magnetic field is caused by convection in the liquid outer core.

Why is the inner core solid and the outer core liquid quizlet?

Inner core – High pressure from the other layers at the Earth center makes the inner core solid. Outer core – It is liquid because the temperature is high and there is not enough pressure to make it solid.

Why is Earth’s core liquid?

So the Earth’s core is liquid because it’s hot enough to melt iron, but only in places where the pressure is low enough. As the Earth continues to age and cool, more and more of the core becomes solid, and when it does, the Earth shrinks a little bit!

Why do scientists think the Earth’s outer core is liquid?

Scientists figured out that the outer core must be liquid because S waves do not pass through it, but P waves do. The behavior of P and S waves also indicates that the inner core is solid. The speed of seismic waves also depends on the density of the material through which they are traveling.

Is mantle solid or liquid?

The mantle is the mostly-solid bulk of Earth’s interior. The mantle lies between Earth’s dense, super-heated core and its thin outer layer, the crust. The mantle is about 2,900 kilometers (1,802 miles) thick, and makes up a whopping 84\% of Earth’s total volume.

How is the outer core of the Earth different from the 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 the importance of the fluidity of the outer core?

Because of its high temperature, modeling work has shown that the outer core is a low-viscosity fluid that convects turbulently. The dynamo theory sees eddy currents in the nickel–iron fluid of the outer core as principal source of the Earth’s magnetic field.

Why is the inner core solid quizlet?

The Earth’s Inner core is solid because there is so much pressure exerted that it can only exist in the solid form. The outer core is liquid iron and nickel. Again, it is very dense but because it is in its liquid form it is less dense than solid and forms the outer core. Rigid means that it is a solid.

Why is 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. Answer 3: It turns out that many materials can be a solid at a higher temperature if the pressure is also higher.