Table of Contents
What are the main components of the inner and outer core?
Core. At the center of the Earth is the core, which has two parts. The solid, inner core of iron has a radius of about 760 miles (about 1,220 km), according to NASA. It is surrounded by a liquid, outer core composed of a nickel-iron alloy.
What are the major components of Earth’s core?
The core is believed to have two parts: a solid inner core, with a radius of 1,220 km, and then a liquid outer core that extends to a radius of 3,400 km. The core is through to be 80% iron, as well as nickel and other dense elements like gold, platinum and uranium.
What are the two main elements of the outer core?
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.
What is the most abundant element in the outer core?
Iron
Iron is the most abundant element, by mass, in the Earth, constituting about 80% of the inner and outer cores of Earth. The molten outer core is about 8000 km in diameter, and the solid inner core is about 2400 km in diameter. Iron is the fourth most abundant element in Earth’s crust.
What does the outer core do?
The outer core is the third layer of the Earth. 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. The movement causes powerful electric currents to develop in the liquid iron itself.
What is the outer most layer of the Earth?
the crust
The outermost layer, called the crust, is solid, too. Together, these solid parts are called the lithosphere. Earth’s crust is made up of hard rocks. It is the only part of the Earth that humans see.
What state of matter is the outer core?
5 In the center of Earth is the core, consisting of two layers: the inner and outer core. The entire iron and nickel core is extremely hot, so it is not surprising to learn that the outer core is in a molten state. However, the inner core’s iron and nickel are solid.
What is unique about 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. The magnetic field protects the Earth from harmful particles that come from the Sun.