core
core
1. The central zone or unit of the Earth. It is composed of iron, with a lighter element, probably sulphur, and accounts for 16% of the Earth's volume and 32% of its mass. The core is separated into inner and outer units. The inner core is a solid with a radius of about 1220 km and the outer core, which does not permit the passage of shear waves (S-waves), is liquid. Other planets have mass distributions that suggest they possess cores, e.g. Mars, Venus, and Mercury. The Moon may have a small core. Saturn has magnetic fields interpreted to indicate a metallic core, probably of liquid hydrogen.
2. A rock specimen obtained by drilling.
1. The central zone or unit of the Earth. It is composed of iron, with a lighter element, probably sulphur, and accounts for 16% of the Earth's volume and 32% of its mass. The core is separated into inner and outer units. The inner core is a solid with a radius of about 1220 km and the outer core, which does not permit the passage of shear waves (S-waves), is liquid. Other planets have mass distributions that suggest they possess cores, e.g. Mars, Venus, and Mercury. The Moon may have a small core. Saturn has magnetic fields interpreted to indicate a metallic core, probably of liquid hydrogen.
2. A rock specimen obtained by drilling.
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core