Earth's Structure Review Game

How can Geoscientists study the core as they cannot directly go near it.

All information the Geoscientists received or figured out about the core has come from sophisticated reading of seismic data, analysis of meteorites, lab experiments with temperature and pressure, and computer modeling.

Why the Earth's magnetic field is so crucial to life on our planet as we know of.

Earth's magnetic field protects the planet from the charged particles of the solar wind. Without the shield of the magnetic field, the solar wind would strip Earth's atmosphere of the ozone layer that protects life from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Where is there less growth of the inner core ?

Growth is less concentrated around "superplumes" or LLSVPs. These ballooning masses of superheated mantle rock likely influence "hot spot" volcanism in the lithosphere, and contribute to a more liquid outer core.

Where is the most inner core growth occurring?

Growth is more concentrated around subduction zones—regions where tectonic plates are slipping from the lithosphere into the mantle, thousands of kilometers above the core. Subducted plates draw heat from the core and cool the surrounding area, causing increased instances of solidification.

How did geoscientists identify the structure of the core itself?

In fact, seismic waves helped geoscientists identify the structure of the core itself. In the late 19th century, scientists noted a "shadow zone" deep in the Earth, where a type of body wave called an s-wave either stopped entirely or was altered. S-waves are unable to transmit through fluids or gases. The sudden "shadow" where s-waves disappeared indicated that Earth had a liquid layer. Then In the 20th century, geoscientists discovered an increase in the velocity of p-waves, another type of body wave, at about 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) below the surface. The increase in velocity corresponded to a change from a liquid or molten medium to a solid. This proved the existence of a solid inner core.

Which lab tool is the most valuable tool for studying forces and reactions at the core?

In the lab, the most valuable tool for studying forces and reactions at the core is the diamond anvil cell. Diamond anvil cells use the hardest substance on Earth (diamonds) to simulate the incredibly high pressure at the core. This device uses an x-ray laser to simulate the core's temperature. The laser is beamed through two diamonds squeezing a sample between them.

Why is difficult to determine the core's precise temperature?

It is tough to figure out the core's precise temperature as it has fluctuating temperatures depending on pressure, the rotation of the Earth, and the varying composition of core elements. In general, temperatures range from about 4,400° Celsius to about 6,000° Celsius.

Do all 8 planets have metal cores true or false?

Its true, all 8 planets have metal cores. Even the gas giants of our solar system, such as Jupiter and Saturn, have iron and nickel at their cores.

Which planet has a weak magnetic field?

Mars and Venus do not have a significant magnetic field. For instance, Mars has a totally solid core and a weak magnetic field. While Venus has a liquid core, but rotates too slowly to churn significant convection currents.

What's something Geoscientists recently discovered about the inner core ?

That the inner core itself has a core—the inner inner core. This strange feature differs from the inner core in much the same way the inner core differs from the outer core. Scientists think that a radical geologic change about 500 million years ago caused this inner inner core to develop.

What's a Bullen discontinuity.

The core is made of two layers: the outer core, which borders the mantle, and the inner core. There is a boundary that separates these regions.

How does the inner core growth look like?

The growth of the inner core is not uniform. It occurs in lumps and bunches, and is influenced by activity in the mantle.

As the entire Earth slowly cools what occurs to the inner core?

The inner core grows by about a millimeter every year. The inner core grows as bits of the liquid outer core solidify or crystallize. Another word for this is "freezing," although it's important to remember that iron's freezing point more than 1,000° Celsius.

What sustains Earth's magnetic field regarding the outer core ?

The liquid metal of the outer core has very low viscosity, meaning it is easily deformed and malleable. It is the site of violent convection. The churning metal of the outer core creates and sustains Earth's magnetic field.

Which earth core rotates a little differently than the rest of the planet?

The liquid outer core separates the inner core from the rest of the Earth, and as a result, the inner core rotates a little differently than the rest of the planet. It rotates eastward, like the surface, but it's a little faster, making an extra rotation about every 1,000 years.

Why is the outer core very hot?

The outer core, about 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles) thick, is mostly composed of liquid iron and nickel. The iron-nickel alloys of the outer core is very hot, between 4,500° and 5,500° Celsius.

What protects Earth from the solar wind?

The spiraling convection currents in the outer core are responsible for Earth's magnetic field, which protects the planet from toxic particles of the solar wind.

What element dissolves in iron and is also found in the core?

This elements is called siderophiles which are also found in the core. As theses elements are found much more rarely on Earth's crust, many siderophiles are classified as "precious metals." The Siderophile elements include gold, platinum, and cobalt.

Key element in Earth's core

is sulfur is and almost 90% of the sulfur on Earth is found in the core. The confirmed discovery of such vast amounts of sulfur helped explain a geologic mystery: If the core was primarily iron-nickel alloys, why wasn't it heavier? Geoscientists speculated that lighter elements such as oxygen or silicon might have been present. The abundance of sulfur, another relatively light element, explained the conundrum.

The outer core's convection currents are influenced by ...

tectonic activity in the crust and mantle, as well as uneven heating in the inner core.