<p>The following paragraphs are reproduced from <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/core/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/core/</a></p>
<p>&quot;Growth in the Inner Core</p>
<p>As the entire Earth slowly cools, the inner core grows by about a millimeter every year. The inner core grows as bits of the liquid outer core solidify or crystallize. Another word for this is “freezing,” although it’s important to remember that iron’s freezing point more than 1,000° Celsius (1,832° Fahrenheit).</p>
<p>The growth of the inner core is not uniform. It occurs in lumps and bunches, and is influenced by activity in the mantle.</p>
<p>Growth is more concentrated around subduction zones—regions where tectonic plates are slipping from the lithosphere into the mantle, thousands of kilometers above the core. Subducted plates draw heat from the core and cool the surrounding area, causing increased instances of solidification.</p>
<p>Growth is less concentrated around “superplumes” or LLSVPs. These ballooning masses of superheated mantle rock likely influence “hot spot” volcanism in the lithosphere, and contribute to a more liquid outer core.</p>
<p>The core will never “freeze over.” The crystallization process is very slow, and the constant radioactive decay of Earth’s interior slows it even further. Scientists estimate it would take about 91 billion years for the core to completely solidify—but the sun will burn out in a fraction of that time (about 5 billion years).&quot;</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-20T17:48:46.367Z
2021-05-20T17:48:46.367Z
essential555
<p>The inner core is solid only because of the very high pressure of the outer core and mantle <em>. Say, if the inner core moved a teeny tiny bit would some of it liquify and melt? Or does it stay solid?</em>
Also if the Inner core bulged would a bump about 1/8 of the size of the mantle occur on the inner core because of space taken up?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T03:50:24.327Z
Move how?  If the pressure is from all sides from the outer core and mantle, it basically sounds like you must be needing a major structural change of the outer core\mantle to get such an imbalance\bulge to occur?
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T17:45:46.117Z
@JeopardyTempest Maybe a strong gravitational pull like the moon and a major structural change as you noted.
Tardy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T17:47:31.820Z
The center of gravity of a celestial body is located in its core, so maybe if a Gravitational Impact happened the Earth's core would move faster than the mantle and inner core.
Tardy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-07T19:48:29.277Z
"Pressure is almost equally distributed throughout the inner core." This is not true.
g.z.
<geophysics><core><pressure>
What would happen if the inner core bulged and moved a tiny bit?
Tardy
# What would happen if the inner core bulged and moved a tiny bit?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-04-14)

The inner core is solid only because of the very high pressure of the outer core and mantle *. Say, if the inner core moved a teeny tiny bit would some of it liquify and melt? Or does it stay solid?*
Also if the Inner core bulged would a bump about 1/8 of the size of the mantle occur on the inner core because of space taken up?

**Tags:** geophysics, core, pressure

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Move how?  If the pressure is from all sides from the outer core and mantle, it basically sounds like you must be needing a major structural change of the outer core\mantle to get such an imbalance\bulge to occur?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Maybe a strong gravitational pull like the moon and a major structural change as you noted.  
> **username_0**: The center of gravity of a celestial body is located in its core, so maybe if a Gravitational Impact happened the Earth's core would move faster than the mantle and inner core.  
> **username_2**: "Pressure is almost equally distributed throughout the inner core." This is not true.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-05-20. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

The following paragraphs are reproduced from <https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/core/>

"Growth in the Inner Core

As the entire Earth slowly cools, the inner core grows by about a millimeter every year. The inner core grows as bits of the liquid outer core solidify or crystallize. Another word for this is “freezing,” although it’s important to remember that iron’s freezing point more than 1,000° Celsius (1,832° Fahrenheit).

The growth of the inner core is not uniform. It occurs in lumps and bunches, and is influenced by activity in the mantle.

Growth is more concentrated around subduction zones—regions where tectonic plates are slipping from the lithosphere into the mantle, thousands of kilometers above the core. Subducted plates draw heat from the core and cool the surrounding area, causing increased instances of solidification.

Growth is less concentrated around “superplumes” or LLSVPs. These ballooning masses of superheated mantle rock likely influence “hot spot” volcanism in the lithosphere, and contribute to a more liquid outer core.

The core will never “freeze over.” The crystallization process is very slow, and the constant radioactive decay of Earth’s interior slows it even further. Scientists estimate it would take about 91 billion years for the core to completely solidify—but the sun will burn out in a fraction of that time (about 5 billion years)."


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