--- title: "Scientists Claim Earth’s Core Is a Weird New State of Matter" description: "Physicists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences determined that the Earth's inner core is in a \"superionic sate,\" technically neither a solid or a liquid." date: "2022-02-16" modified: "2022-02-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-earths-core-weird-state-matter" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "earth" - "inner core" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Claim Earth’s Core Is a Weird New State of Matter ![Physicists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences determined that the Earth's inner core is in a "superionic sate," technically neither a solid or a liquid.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Superionic Nobody quite knows what's lurking at the very core of the Earth. Is it solid, liquid, or a new form of matter entirely? With the help of his colleagues, Chinese Academy of Sciences physicist Yu He determined that our planet's inner core is in a "superionic sate," which technically neither a solid or a liquid but a weird intermediate state. "It is quite abnormal," He said in a [blurb about the research](). "The solidification of iron at the inner core boundary does not change the mobility of these light elements, and the convection of light elements is continuous in the inner core." The research could shed light on one of the longest running mysteries in earth science: the composition of the inner structure of our planet. ## Under Pressure Because it's still impossible to drill down to the Earth's core, the team chose to simulate its hellish pressures and temperatures using a computer. As detailed in [a study]() published in the journal *Nature* earlier this month, the team found that the swirling mix of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon was in a superionic state, meaning that oxygen ions had formed a solid, while hydrogen ions floated around to form a kind of liquid. The iron atoms, however, were set in a crystalline structure. "We find that hydrogen, oxygen and carbon in hexagonal close-packed iron transform to a superionic state under the inner core conditions, showing high diffusion coefficients like a liquid," the team writes in its paper. "This suggests that the inner core can be in a superionic state rather than a normal solid state." The model may hold true, given previous research into the Earth's inner core that found it may be softer than expected, swirling like a spinning snowball. "Our results fit well with seismological observations," He argued in the statement. "It is the liquid-like elements that make the inner core soften." **READ MORE:** [Earth’s inner core: a mixture of solid Fe and liquid-like light elements]() \[Chinese Academy of Sciences\] **More on the inner core:** *[The Earth's Core Is Cooling Way Faster Than We Thought, Scientists Say]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()