Earth's inner 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-inner-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 composition?Primarily an iron-nickel alloy, with potential trace amounts of lighter elements
2. What is the estimated surface temperature?Approximately 5,700 K (5,430 °C; 9,800 °F)
3. How hot is the inner core compared to the Sun?Its surface temperature is about 5,700 Kelvin, which is roughly the same as the Sun’s surface temperature.
4. Why is the inner core solid even though it is so hot?The pressure from the layers above is so great—around 3.6 million atmospheres—that it keeps the iron‑nickel alloy solid even at those temperatures.

Seismic Tomography: A technique using seismic waves to create 3D images of Earth's interior.
Iron-Nickel Alloy: A metallic mixture forming the bulk of the inner core, influencing its physical properties.
Geodynamo: The process within Earth's core that generates the planet's magnetic field.