If the earth's molten core completely cooled, would the earth shrink?

Question

If so, by how much? Enough so that the east coast of South America would touch the west coast of Africa? Enough that the oceans would completely cover all the land? It may be a silly question but I was just wondering. Thanks for any replies.

Answer 1

The Earth's core isn't molten, it's a solid iron ball about the size of the planet Mars. It's surrounded by liquid iron and then a rocky mantle which is a solid that behaves like a liquid - it's "viscous". A bit like porridge or wet cement.

No, the Earth would not shrink. When liquids solidify they expand in volume. Think about when you put an icecube tray in the freezer - you don't fill it to the top because the water expands when it becomes ice.

Answer 2

if the earth's molten core completely cooled than the spin of the earth will be stopped and earth will no longer be acquiring a magnetic field that an hence there will be a complete collapse of the earth.....

since earh's core is responsible for the generaation of the conventional currents that enable the lithistatic plates to move and all these natural events such as volcanism, earthquake and ocean floor formation it will be ceased....

therefore the stationary core will only collapse the whole planet ....

afar as the question of shriking is concerend i think yes it will definetly shirnk coz core is undr a great ovrburden and allot of confining preessure isabove the core.....so the diameter of the earth will reduce hypothetically.....whereas in nature that simply not possible ....

Answer 3

The entire planet would die. It would be a good way to stop global warming though. The sun can only heat the surface, so if the earths core solidified, the earth would grow and there would be catastrophic earthquakes everywhere. When the temperature difference from the core makes it to the surface everything would freeze. The sun doesn't have nearly enough heat to maintain the temperature of this rock.
I think we would all die.

Answer 4

Perhaps. This would happen in a considerable geologic time, when the earths core would eventually be as cold as Mars. By then, earthlings wight have moved on to Venus which might be just perfect for inhabitation.

http://athene.as.arizona.edu/~lclose/teaching/a202/lect26.html