# core of the earth?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/core-of-the-earth/66105
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 21, 2001, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/core-of-the-earth/66105 "2001-05-21T17:28:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@berdollos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berdollos)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2001, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/core-of-the-earth/66105/1 "2001-05-21T17:28:47Z")
IS the core of the earth molten or solid iron?
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### Author:  [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/core-of-the-earth/66105/2 "2001-05-21T19:04:05Z")
A little from column A, a little from column B.
The inner core is solid, and the outer core is molten.
[http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/database/Geography/9609/g00075d.html](http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/database/Geography/9609/g00075d.html)
[http://www.sciencenews.org/sn\_arc99/11\_13\_99/fob5.htm](http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc99/11_13_99/fob5.htm)
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2001, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/core-of-the-earth/66105/3 "2001-05-21T19:05:33Z")
The earth’s core is _solid_ iron as per [this](http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/interior.html) website.
It also states that the mantle is solid which surprised me. I always thought it was molten since this is where (I assume) magma from volcanoes comes from and I thought the plates that make up the earth’s crust ‘floated’ on the mantle. The website states the mantle is actually solid akin to plastic (i.e. it is deformable).
Of course, the link could be mistaken but coming from a university seismology school I would assume it is a credible source.