Mineral physics of iron and of the core

Mineral physics is a field of materials physics and materials chemistry confined to the study of materials pertinent to the Earth and planetary interiors. In the last two decades, emphasis has been given to research on the values of physical properties in materials appropriate to the Earth's mantle and core. Braginsky and Roberts[1995] listed the physical properties that play a key role in their analysis of convection of the Earth's core and the dynamo. These connect mineral physics to geomagnetism of the core. This review will be concerned primarily with progress made in the last four years in refining values of these properties.