ELI5 what is the core of the Earth made of, how does it stay molten, and what would the impact of it cooling be?
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It has a solid iron and nickel core surrounded by a liquid outer core mostly of the same metals. It stays molten due to the immense pressure of all the mass above it, generating heat.
The liquid core is believed to be the source of the planet’s magnetic field. If you were to magically cool it and harden it, the planet would lose much of its magnetic field which would expose the surface to significantly more solar radiation, likely resulting in the planet becoming much less if at all habitable.
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