The Earth’s inner core, a ball of iron and nickel about 1,500 miles wide, may not be perfectly solid. New research from a study published in Nature Geoscience reveals that the inner core’s outer boundary has noticeably changed shape over the past few decades. “The most likely cause is the outer core tugging on the inner core and making it move a little bit,” said John Vidale, a professor of earth sciences at the University of Southern California. Dr.
Vidale and his colleagues presented these findings after careful analysis of seismic data. Geophysicists have previously reported that the inner core appeared to be spinning slightly faster than the outer layers a couple of decades ago, and now it is spinning slightly slower. This adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting dynamic interactions within Earth’s deepest interior regions.
The inner core is the deepest of Earth’s geological layers.
Core shape changes detected
The crust, which is the layer that we live on, is just a few miles thick.
Below the crust is the mantle, which is about 1,800 miles thick and comprises 84 percent of the planet’s volume. The mantle is soft enough in places to flow and generate the forces driving plate tectonics. Between the mantle and the inner core lies the liquid outer core.
Scientists cannot directly observe the Earth’s interior. Their knowledge is derived from analyzing the vibrations generated by earthquakes that travel through the planet. The speed and direction of these seismic vibrations vary depending on the density and elasticity of the Earth’s materials.
This new research contributes to our understanding of the complex and dynamic processes occurring deep within Earth’s inner core.
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