Cartoon of iron and carbon atoms nucleating to form solids (IMAGE)
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Cartoon of iron and carbon atoms nucleating to form solids which could initiate growth of Earth's solid inner core.
The authors used atomic scale simulations to identify solids nucleating in supercooled liquids. They found that carbon atoms can accelerate this process, perhaps enough to trigger the freezing of Earth's solid inner core.
Image credit: Dr Alfred Wilson
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Dr Alfred Wilson
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