# Why is the Earth's core a solid?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-earths-core-a-solid/363356
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 6, 2006, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-earths-core-a-solid/363356 "2006-07-06T13:35:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![solkoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@solkoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solkoe)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2006, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-earths-core-a-solid/363356/1 "2006-07-06T13:35:34Z")

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The shell of the Earth is solid. The middle is a liquid. The core is a solid. Why?

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### Author: ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2006, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-earths-core-a-solid/363356/2 "2006-07-06T13:59:46Z")

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> [@solkoe](#):
>
> The shell of the Earth is solid. The middle is a liquid. The core is a solid. Why?

While we’re waiting for a geologist to happen by, you might take a look at [this section](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth's_core#Mantle) of the Wikipedia article on Earth’s interior. Executive summary: lots of pressure at the bottom makes it solid; less pressure in the middle allows it to be liquid; and a different composition near the top means that it’s solid again.