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There are parts inside the Earth (near the core) that are liquid. Presumably causing the Earth's magnetic field (though there are celestial bodies that are completely solid while they have a magnetic field around them).

In a comment to another question, JeopardyTempest pointed out that solid iron and nickel (the main liquid stuff) has a density that is 15% higher than that of the liquid state. I can imagine that if this liquid stuff turns solid (though I'm not sure this will happen) this will affect the solid parts. But how?

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    $\begingroup$ If the liquid part turned solid, the missing magnetic field would be our least problem, because either Earth would have lost a lot of its mass, or the laws of physics would have been abolished. $\endgroup$ Commented Jun 7, 2021 at 9:38
  • $\begingroup$ speculative fictional what if's are not a great fit for this site, $\endgroup$ Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 3:16
  • $\begingroup$ This question is on topic here & depending on how it is considered it is not necessarily categorized as speculative fiction. Other planets/planetoids that once had a molten core, as Earth currently has, are now totally solid. The effect of this has been the shrinking of such planets resulting in large tectonic disruptions: faults, ridges, chasms, rifts etc. If I had the time to search for references concerning this an answer would have been written. As to the magnetic field, it most likely would cease & atmospheric loses would most likely accelerate. Life on Earth would be totally different. $\endgroup$ Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 5:10

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This process is actually ongoing. The Earth is cooling, and the liquid outer core is gradually contributing to the growth of the solid inner core, which increases in radius by roughly 1 mm each year.

You’re right that solid iron is denser than liquid iron, so a fully solidified core would shrink. However, the process would take hundreds of millions of years and the Earth’s diameter would decrease perhaps few tens of kilometers but that likely wouldn't be enough to cause major structural collapse.

The effect on plate tectonics, however, would be decisive. The latent heat released as the outer core slowly solidifies drives convection in the remaining liquid core, which in turn generates the Earth’s magnetic field. It also helps sustain mantle convection, which keeps the tectonic plates moving. Without that heat flow, plate tectonics would eventually cease, and the planet would instead develop widespread contractional features such as thrust faults. This will happen eventually, so the question is not purely hypothetical.

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We can look to Mars to see what happens when a planet's inner and outer cores solidify. Once the solid iron core can no longer spin within its liquid metallic shell the geomagnetic dynamo loses power, and a planet's magnetic fields fade, then disappear leaving its vulnerable atmosphere to be bombarded by the suns ionic wind. In the case of Mars, this solar wind has stripped it of a large part of its atmosphere and by extension, its water. As far as I know, there aren't any globally prevalent tectonic features on Mars that indicate "shrinkage" on a planetary scale due to cooling of its core.

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