Question

Select the statement(s) that accurately describe the structure of Earth.


The outer core is nearly as hot as the sun's surface.

The inner core is made of liquid iron and nickel.

The outer layer of Earth is made of mostly solid rock.

We live on Earth's crust.

The mantle is below the crust and moves like thick oatmeal.

Answer 1

Accurate statements: 3, 4, and 5.

Brief explanations:
- The outer core is nearly as hot as the sun's surface. — False. Temperatures in Earth’s core are very high, but the statement usually refers to the inner core being comparable to the Sun’s surface (~5,500 °C); the outer core is hot but not typically described that way.
- The inner core is made of liquid iron and nickel. — False. The inner core is primarily iron–nickel but is solid due to immense pressure; the outer core is the liquid layer.
- The outer layer of Earth is made of mostly solid rock. — True. The outermost layer (the crust, and the rigid lithosphere) is solid rock.
- We live on Earth's crust. — True. Humans live on the crust, the thin rocky outer shell.
- The mantle is below the crust and moves like thick oatmeal. — True (in a simplified sense). The solid mantle behaves plastically over long timescales and convects very slowly, often likened to very viscous materials like thick oatmeal.