the state of matter of the earth's outer core is inner core.
what is the state of matter of the earth's outer core?
inner core
estimates for the temperature of the outer core are about in its outer regions and near the inner core. evidence for a fluid outer core includes from seismology which shows that seismic shear-waves are not transmitted through 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. the average magnetic field strength in the earth's outer core was measured to be 2.5 millitesla, 50 times stronger than the magnetic field at the surface. the outer core is not under enough pressure to be solid, so it is liquid even though it has a composition similar to the inner core. sulfur and oxygen could be present in the outer core.
earth's outer core
the iron-rich core region of the earth is divided into a radius solid inner core and a radius liquid outer core. the rotation of the earth creates convective eddies in the outer core region that cause it to function as a dynamo. this generates a magnetosphere about the earth that deflects particles from the solar wind, which prevents significant erosion of the atmosphere from sputtering. as heat from the core is transferred outward toward the mantle, the net trend is for the inner boundary of the liquid outer core region to freeze, thereby releasing thermal energy and causing the solid inner core to grow. this iron crystallization process has been ongoing for about a billion years. in the modern era, the radius of the inner core is expanding at an average rate of roughly per year, at the expense of the outer core. nearly all of the energy needed to power the dynamo is being supplied by this process of inner core formation.
future of earth