Earth's core

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/earths-core

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the outer core composition?Liquid iron-nickel alloy with lighter elements
2. What is the inner core composition?Solid iron-nickel alloy
3. What is the Earth's core made of?The core is mostly iron and nickel, with small amounts of sulfur, oxygen, silicon, and carbon.
4. Why is the inner core solid even though it's very hot?The pressure from the layers above is so great that it keeps the inner core from melting, even though it's hotter than the surface of the Sun.

Geodynamo: The physical process responsible for generating Earth's magnetic field through the motion of conductive fluids in the outer core.
Seismic Tomography: A technique that uses seismic wave data to create three-dimensional images of Earth's interior.
Paleomagnetism: The study of the record of the Earth's magnetic field in rocks, used to understand past magnetic field behavior.
Core-Mantle Boundary: The interface between the Earth's liquid outer core and the solid mantle, a region of significant thermal and chemical exchange.