The Earth's core is the innermost layer of the planet.
The concept of nucleus comes from the Latin word nucleus , which refers to the stone or pit of a fruit or the part of a nut that is edible. The term is the diminutive of nucis or nux , translatable as “nut” .
The central , internal or main area of something is called the core . In astronomy , the core is the area of greatest density of a star, located in its center. Physics , meanwhile, calls the central portion of an atom, made up of neutrons and protons, the nucleus.
As for the idea of land , it comes from the Latin terra . When it appears with a capital letter ( Earth ), it refers to our planet. The Earth , which revolves around the Sun , is part of the solar system .
What is the core of the Earth
The layer formed mainly by iron and nickel that is located at a depth of about 2,900 kilometers is called the core of the Earth . It is the most internal sector of the planet .
It can be said that the core of the Earth is the center of the planet . It accounts for more than 30% of the Earth's mass and has a radius of around 3,500 km .
With a temperature of more than 6700 ºC , it is made up of a solid part surrounded by a liquid layer. Its internal pressure is much higher than the pressure recorded on the Earth's surface.
The solid part of the Earth's core is expanding.
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The Earth has a history of about 4.5 billion years . It is estimated that the core was formed in the initial 200 million years , when gravity pushed the heavier iron towards the center, leaving the silicate and rocky minerals in the crust and mantle.
When the planet formed, an enormous amount of heat was captured inside. The evolution of the Earth is associated with the loss of said heat and the increase in temperature caused by radioactive decay.
In this process, the flow of the liquid part of the Earth's core gives rise to the planet's magnetic field ; In turn, as the interior cools, so-called plate tectonics develops.
According to scientists, the radius of the inner solid core grows about 1 millimeter per year . If the progression continues, in millions of years the entire core will be solid, so the Earth will then lack its magnetic field .
Current behavior of the Earth's core
Scientific research has shown that today the Earth's core is growing unevenly. Regarding the solid mass, it is developing more under the Indonesian sea compared to what happens under Brazil .
In any case, experts indicated, gravity is responsible for the uniform distribution of this growth. Thus, the nucleus retains its shape and its radius expands in a balanced manner.
This phenomenon is attributed to the different forms of heat absorption. In certain regions of the core, heat is absorbed faster than in others, giving rise to this peculiarity.