Inner core Composition Myths of the interior Commentary

Inge Lehmann geophysics

Inner core

Inge Lehmann studied seismograms from earthquakes in New Zealand and found seismic waves that reflected from a boundary below the molten core. At the boundary of the inner core, crystallized fragments of the molten outer core accumulate.

Composition

Mostly iron alloyed with nickel and other elements that dissolve readily in iron— gold, platinum, iridium, osmium, rhenium, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, molybdenum, cobalt, manganese, but, really, there’s no way to obtain a sample for testing.

Myths of the interior

Our planet’s interior could be a metaphor. We cannot penetrate it, except in our fantasies. But that’s probably too simple. Creation myths, conspiracy theories, a place for aliens and dinosaurs—anything goes where nothing can be refuted by firsthand experience.