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Low viscosity of the Earth’s inner core

Author

Listed:
  • Anatoly B. Belonoshko

    (Royal Institute of Technology (KTH))

  • Jie Fu

    (Ningbo University)

  • Taras Bryk

    (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)

  • Sergei I. Simak

    (Linköping University)

  • Maurizio Mattesini

    (Complutense University of Madrid
    Facultad de Ciencias Físicas)

Abstract

The Earth’s solid inner core is a highly attenuating medium. It consists mainly of iron. The high attenuation of sound wave propagation in the inner core is at odds with the widely accepted paradigm of hexagonal close-packed phase stability under inner core conditions, because sound waves propagate through the hexagonal iron without energy dissipation. Here we show by first-principles molecular dynamics that the body-centered cubic phase of iron, recently demonstrated to be thermodynamically stable under the inner core conditions, is considerably less elastic than the hexagonal phase. Being a crystalline phase, the body-centered cubic phase of iron possesses the viscosity close to that of a liquid iron. The high attenuation of sound in the inner core is due to the unique diffusion characteristic of the body-centered cubic phase. The low viscosity of iron in the inner core enables the convection and resolves a number of controversies.

Suggested Citation

  • Anatoly B. Belonoshko & Jie Fu & Taras Bryk & Sergei I. Simak & Maurizio Mattesini, 2019. "Low viscosity of the Earth’s inner core," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-10346-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10346-2
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