Cartoon of the Earth (IMAGE)
Caption
Cartoon of the Earth with cutaway showing the mantle and inner and outer core. Magnetic field lines produced by the geodynamo extend into space and interact with the solar wind.
The iron-rich core at Earth’s centre is slowly freezing from the inside out. This growth of the solid inner core powers the magnetic field that shields our planet from harmful space weather. How and when the inner core first began to freeze remains a mystery but new research shows that solving it could reveal the core’s composition, giving us a clearer picture of Earth’s deep interior.
Image credit: Dr Alfred Wilson
Credit
Dr Alfred Wilson
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