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Weird ‘superionic’ matter could make up Earth’s inner core

Material that’s a mash-up of solid and liquid could explain oddities of the planet’s center

illustration of Earth's core structure showing the mantle in read, the outer core in yellow, and the inner core as a yellow sphere

Earth’s core consists of a liquid outer core (yellow) surrounding an inner core (brighter yellow sphere). New computer simulations suggest that, instead of being a normal solid, the inner core may be superionic, a state of matter that has properties of both a solid and liquid.

TUMEGGY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/getty images plus

By Emily Conover

A quirky material that behaves like a mishmash of liquid and solid could be hidden deep in the Earth.