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A recent study confirms that the rotation of Earth’s inner core has indeed slowed, raising questions about the dynamics of the core and its potential impact on the entire planet.
Scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) say the change could slightly alter the length of our day, by just a fraction of a second. “When I first saw the seismograms showing this change, I was stunned. But when we found two dozen other observations showing the same pattern, the result was inevitable,” said USC geoscientist John Vidale.
The slowdown is significant because it hasn’t been observed in decades. The inner core is slowing down for the first time in decades. Other scientists have recently debated similar and different models, but our latest study provides the most convincing solution, Videl added.
The Earth’s inner core is a superhot, dense ball of iron and nickel about two-thirds the size of the Moon, located more than 4,800 kilometers below the surface. Understanding its characteristics could help unravel Earth’s history. Vidale and his team analyzed data from 121 repeating earthquakes recorded near the South Sandwich Islands between 1991 and 2023, as well as data from several nuclear tests. The events produced significant seismic waves that revealed the movement of the Earth’s inner core, the report said. Science Alert.
Scientists monitor the position and movement of Earth’s inner core by studying how seismic waves change speed and direction. The apparent slowing of the core appears to have begun around 2010 and may be linked to the movement of the liquid iron outer core, which generates Earth’s magnetic field, or gravity.
The implications of this newfound presence are not yet fully understood. Although changes in the core’s speed and direction are not uncommon, they were no immediate cause for alarm. “At a fraction of a thousandth of a second, they are difficult to notice, almost lost in the noise of the turbulent ocean and atmosphere,” Vidale explained.
Still, the study, published in the journal Nature, adds to our understanding of Earth’s deep geological mysteries, suggesting more complex dynamics exist in the inner core. Videl concludes that the inner core’s dance may be more dynamic than previously thought.
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