Earth's inner core is likely a weird composition of superheated elements making it both liquid and solid at the same time, a study has suggested. The extreme temperatures and pressures found at the ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Bressan is a geologist who covers curiosities about Earth. Earth's inner core, the deepest part of our planet, is ...

Deep beneath our feet, far beyond the reach of drills or submersibles, Earth hides a solid metal heart that behaves in ways geophysicists have struggled to explain. New experiments now suggest that a ...

The Earth’s inner core, a solid sphere predominantly composed of iron and nickel, occupies a central role in our planet’s evolution and geodynamo processes. Although hidden beneath thousands of ...

Earth's inner core is solid and blistering hot. For decades, scientists have known the inner core is solid thanks to the pioneering work of Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann, who first proposed its ...

Oxygen is the key substance for life and one of the most abundant elements in the Earth. However, it’s still unknown whether oxygen is present and in which form in the inner core with extreme high ...

A study by researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Leeds, and University College London has identified a new constraint on the chemistry of Earth's core, by showing how it was able to ...

For generations, scientists have probed the structure and composition of the planet using seismic wave studies. This consists of measuring shock waves caused by earthquakes as they penetrate and pass ...

Earth cross section showing the classic distinction between crust, mantle and core. But new research shows Earth's structure is far more complicated and may change over time. Analyzing an unusual ...

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 ...