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What are some interesting facts about the Earth's outer core?

In: Geology [Edit categories]

Answer:

The Earth's outer core is composed mainly of liquid iron (85 %) and nickel (5 %) with the rest made up of a number of other elements
The outer core is 2,260 km thick
The outer core's upper boundary is 2,890 km (1,806 miles) below the surface
The outer core's lower boundary is 5,150 km (3,219 miles) below the surface
The temperature of the outer core varies from 4400 degrees C at it's upper boundary and 6100 degrees C at it's lower boundary
The outer core accounts for approximately 31 % of Earth's mass
The layer above the outer core is known as the mantle and the boundary itself is known as the Gutenberg discontinuity, named after the the German geophysicist Beno Gutenberg who discovered it. Gutenberg is also famous for his work with Charles Richter in the development of the Richter magnitude scale.
The layer below the outer core is the inner core and this boundary was discovered by the Danish geophysicist Inge Lehmann
Geophysicists currently believe that the convection of the molten iron in Earth's outer core produces Earth's magnetic field which protects us from solar radiation and without which life on Earth as we know it would have been impossible
Some geophysicists also believe that certain mantle plumes form at the boundary between the outer core and the mantle due to the very high differences in temperature (the outer core is much hotter than the base of the mantle above it). It is these hot plumes that are thought to be responsible for volcanism at hotspots in the middle of tectonic plates such as the one that created the Hawaiian island chain

First answer by SBDW1. Last edit by SBDW1. Contributor trust: 228 [recommend contributor ]. Question popularity: 53 [recommend question].

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