It is believed by researchers that the core of the Earth is currently experiencing unexpected structural changes. A recent study has revealed that scientists have come across a surprising discovery – the inner core of our planet is undergoing alterations in its physical properties. These changes are speculated to have resulted in a slight adjustment in the length of each day. While scientists have had prior knowledge of variations occurring within the Earth’s inner core, much of the previous research focused on its rotational behavior. However, recent findings indicate that there are other types of dynamic activities taking place deep below the Earth’s surface.
The inner core, located approximately 3,000 miles beneath the Earth’s surface, is held in place by the gravitational force exerted by the molten outer core. Initially, researchers embarked on a study to investigate the gradual decrease in the inner core’s rotational speed. Yet, during this exploration, they stumbled upon evidence challenging the conventional belief that the inner core is a solid entity.
Upon analyzing seismographic data spanning several decades and documenting seismic events such as earthquakes, researchers encountered a distinct anomaly that deviated from the expected patterns. This anomaly suggested that the inner core may not be a rigid sphere as previously assumed. In fact, it is proposed that the inner core may be undergoing a process known as “viscous deformation,” wherein its shape undergoes changes and interacts with the surrounding outer core.
The researchers were initially puzzled by the data obtained, which included observations of 121 recurring earthquakes originating from 42 locations in the vicinity of Antarctica’s South Sandwich Islands. Among these seismic events, one particular set of seismic waves stood out, indicating heightened physical activity within the inner core. John Vidale, from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, who serves as the principal investigator of the study, remarked on the significance of these findings.
He noted, “The molten outer core is widely recognized for its turbulent nature, but until now, its turbulence was not observed to impact the neighboring inner core on a timescale relevant to human observation. What we are witnessing in this study for the first time is likely the outer core perturbing the inner core.”
These groundbreaking revelations have been detailed in a newly published paper titled ‘Annual-scale variability in both the rotation rate and near surface of Earth’s inner core,’ featured in the journal Nature Geoscience.
