Inner Core
The centermost portion of the Earth’s core is called the inner core. The inner core is in a solid state with temperatures starting at 5,000°C and reaching up to 6,000°C. The inner core is believed to be hotter than the surface of the sun (Choi, 2014). This layer of the Earth is comprised of iron and nickel elements, meaning that the inner core of Earth is mostly pure metal (National Geographic Kids, 2015). The melting point for the metal that makes up the inner core of the Earth starts at 1,538°C, meaning that the inner core of the Earth should technically be a liquid, however, this is not the case. The amount of pressure that surrounds the inner core is so immense that it keeps the inner core in a solid state versus a liquid state. “Although the iron is extremely hot… the pressure from the rest of the planet is so great that the iron cannot melt” (National Geographic, 2015a, para. 3). As we move outward from the inner core we find the outer core.