Utilizing Seismic Waves to Explore the World at the Center of the Earth, American Scientists Have Collected Astonishing Data.
According to Sci-News, the movement of the Earth’s inner core has been a topic of debate within the scientific community for three decades, with some studies suggesting that the inner core of the Earth rotates faster than the planet’s surface.
A new study led by Professor John Vidale from the University of Southern California (USA) reveals a drastic change that occurred around 2010, which has gone unnoticed by people on Earth.
The structure of the Earth with the inner core as a solid metal sphere and the outer core as a molten metal sphere – (Image: THE WEATHER NETWORK).
The article published in the journal Nature asserts: The Earth’s core has slowed down. Currently, this core is even rotating slower than the outer layers.
“When I first saw the seismic records indicating this change, I was quite puzzled. But when we found over 20 other observations signaling the same pattern, the results became undeniable,” said Professor Vidale.
This is the first time the Earth’s core has slowed down in 40 years, and it is even rotating in the opposite direction to the planet’s surface.
This core is a solid iron-nickel sphere surrounded by a liquid iron-nickel outer core, nearly the size of the Moon and located over 4,828 kilometers beneath our feet.
In the study, researchers compiled and analyzed seismic data recorded around the South Sandwich Islands from 121 repeating earthquakes that occurred from 1991 to 2023.
They also utilized data from dual nuclear tests conducted by the Soviet Union from 1971 to 1974, which caused seismic-like shocks, as well as repeated nuclear tests by France and the USA.
All of this yielded a consistent result.
Scientists are still unable to fully assess the changes occurring on the Earth’s surface related to the “unusual behavior” of the planet’s core.
It is only known that the length of a day has indeed changed. However, there is no need to adjust your clocks. These changes have only shortened the day by about a millisecond.
Researchers remain skeptical about other potential changes that have been and are currently affecting the planet since the core’s slowdown.
They plan to delve deeper into research in this direction, which will not only help predict what happens in the future but also provide a better understanding of the planet’s history.
