Viscosity of the earth's core

Estimates of the coefficient of kinematical viscosity nu of the earth's liquid metallic core that are given in the geophysical literature range from approximately 0.001 sq cm/s, the viscosity of molten iron at ordinary pressures, to approximately less than 10 to the 8th power sq cm/s, based on the observation that compressional waves traverse the core without suffering serious attenuation. Bumps on the core-mantle boundary with typical horizontal dimensions up to a few thousand km and vertical dimensions h of a few km would produce the topographic coupling between the core and mantle that is evidently implied by the observed decade variations in the length of the day (unless the coupling is due to the presence of rapidly fluctuating magnetic fields in the core).