I have never taken why earth"s inner core is solid. Since the inner main point is made of one iron-nickel alloy (melting suggest around 1350 C come 1600 C) and also the temperature that the inner core is about 5430 C (about the temperature that the surface ar of the sun). Because Earth"s core is almost 3-4 time the melting allude of iron-nickel alloys how deserve to it maybe be solid?


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Earth"s inner core is solid also though the temperature is therefore high since the push is also very high. According to the Wikipedia post on the Earth"s inner core, the temperature at the center is $5,700 extK$ and the pressure is approximated to it is in $330$ come $360 extGPa$ ($sim3cdot10^6 extatm$).

The phase diagram shown below (taken indigenous this paper) mirrors the liquid/solid transition, where fcc and also hcp space two different crystalline creates of hard iron. You have the right to see clearly from the slope of the heat going off towards the upper appropriate that iron should be solid in ~ this temperature and pressure.

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In addition to the answer below and my comment above, I believe the complying with phase diagram, native DavePhd"s prize here, sourced native here, is an ext appropriate because that the pressure levels close to the Earth"s core of about 330 come 360GPa.

We can see native the picture that because that pressures between 330 and also 360GPa, the melting temperature ranges from around 6200 K to 6600 K, which is much greater than Earth"s inner core temperature of about 5700 K.

See more: How Do You Find The Length Of The Diagonal Of The Box., Diagonal Of A Rectangle

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You are only considering the melting point at atmospheric pressure. Melting point depends top top pressure. The push in Earth"s main point is about 350 GigaPascals. It is crucial to study the phase diagram that the substance being considered. A phase diagram explains what phase (solid, liquid, gas) a problem is in at assorted temperatures and also pressures.

See step diagram the iron, revised-core temperature for detailed information.


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