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LITHOEN

Earth layer

Outer core

The liquid part of Earth’s metallic core. Its inability to transmit shear waves is the observation from which its liquid state is inferred, and motion within it generates Earth’s main magnetic field.

Classification

division basis
compositional

How this record is known

2
Settled consensus
Cited as the accepted position of the discipline.
1
Interpretation
Reached by reasoning from evidence, or produced by a named model.

3 of 3 claims on this page cite at least one registered source. Counts describe how each statement is known, not how likely it is to be true.

What Lithoen records

Each claim states how it is known and cites its evidence.

InferredLiquid — it does not transmit shear waves.

The outer core is liquid: shear waves are not observed passing through it, and liquids cannot transmit shear.

  • method: Absence of direct S-wave arrivals beyond the S-wave shadow zone in global seismic records.

Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence 3 sources, multiple sources, independence unknown

Evidence: EarthScope Consortium (NSF SAGE) n.d. Institutional reference; EarthScope Consortium (NSF SAGE) n.d. Institutional reference; Kious 1996 Primary authority

EstablishedGenerated in the conducting fluid outer core.

Earth’s main magnetic field is generated in the conducting, fluid outer core.

Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence 2 sources, multiple sources, independence unknown

Evidence: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information n.d. Primary authority; Kious 1996 Primary authority

Established2,200 km

The liquid outer core is about 2,200 kilometres thick.

  • precision note: As stated by the source; layer boundary depths in reference Earth models carry their own uncertainties.

Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence one source

Evidence: Kious 1996 Primary authority

In the knowledge graph

Record last updated 2026-09-06. Corrections follow the published corrections policy; superseded claims are retained, never silently edited.