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Outer core

Astronomy O-type starOuter planet

outer core The outermost part of Earth's core, believed to be liquid, and composed mainly of nickel and iron.

 


Outer core: 30.8% of Earth's mass; depth of 2,890-5,150 kilometers (1,806 - 3,219 miles)
The outer core is a hot, electrically conducting liquid within which convective motion occurs.

outer core - the molten iron-nickel layer that surrounds the inner core.
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The outer core has a radius of ~3500 km. The inner core has a radius of ~1250 km.

The outer core is in a liquid state and is about 1,400 miles (2,260 km) thick.
Mantle: Under the crust is the rocky mantle, which is composed of silicon, oxygen, magnesium, iron, aluminum, and calcium.

The Earth's magnetic field is thought to be generated by electrical currents flowing in its liquid iron core, and electrical currents flowing within the outer cores of liquid metallic hydrogen in Jupiter and Saturn may similarly be the source of ...

Earth's interior consists of a crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. The crust has a low density and is silica-rich on the surface and silica-poor in the interior.

0- 40 Crust 40- 400 Upper mantle 400- 650 Transition region 650-2700 Lower mantle 2700-2890 D'' layer 2890-5150 Outer core 5150-6378 Inner core The crust varies considerably in thickness, it is thinner under the oceans, thicker under the continents.

They deduce that the planet has a solid inner core surrounded by a relatively thin, molten outer core, which is possible if the core contains some sulphur as well as iron. In order for Mercury's core to have stayed molten over some 4.

In this dynamo mechanism, fluid motion in the Earth's outer core moves conducting material (liquid iron) across an already existing, weak magnetic field and generates an electric current.

The 2,200°C outer core is 2000km thick and made mostly of liquid iron. Finally, the inner core is 2740 km thick and consists of solid iron and nickel. The temperature at the core is approximately 4500°C.

The lithosphere (continental crust) is about 80 km thick; below that is a rock mantle about 2800 km thick; the outer core is liquid and predominantly iron, with a radius of 3500 km; and the inner core is solid iron probably in crystalline form, ...

The Earth's magnetic field is produced by the currents in the molten iron outer core. However Mercury is so small that its core should have cooled and solidified billions of years ago.

The solid inner core rotates more slowly than the outer core, thus accounting for the secular westward drift. The irregular surface of the outer core may help to account for some of the more irregular changes in the field.

This out-going inner core will collide with the in-coming outer core, which is collapsing rapidly. This collision will send off shock waves and create heavy elements, like uranium. Also, the outer layers of the star will be thrown off to space.

According to dynamo theory, the field is generated within the molten outer core region where heat creates convection motions of conducting materials, generating electric currents. These in turn produce the Earth's magnetic field.

Solid inner core, liquid outer core
Few craters, large continents, organized volcanism, erosion
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When the Earth solidified again (except for the liquid outer core) it was left with a layered structure with more dense material like iron and nickel near the center and less dense rocks nearer the surface.

"It is surprising that the conditions on such a small planet have allowed a fluid outer core to persist, ...

Rapid changes in the churning movement of Earth's liquid outer core are weakening the magnetic field in some regions of the planet's surface.

GUTENBERG DISCONTINUITY
The Gutenberg discontinuity separates the outer core and the mantle of the Earth.
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The Earth is made up of several layers. There is an outer solid crust, then a mantle, then a liquid outer core, and finally a solid inner core.

or liquid is very viscous (resulting in turbulent differential motion), the reversal of the magnetic field may not be very periodic. This is the case with the Earth's magnetic field, which is generated by turbulent currents in a viscous outer core.

See also: Earth, Core, Planet, Ocean, Mantle