July 5th, 2024

Earth's core has slowed so much it's moving backward

Scientists confirm Earth's inner core is slowing and reversing its rotation, a mystery since 1936. Seismic waves reveal a 70-year cycle affecting the magnetic field and day length, prompting further interdisciplinary research.

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Earth's core has slowed so much it's moving backward

Scientists have confirmed that Earth's inner core is slowing down and even moving backward, following a decades-long pattern. The inner core, a solid metal ball rotating independently within the planet, has been a subject of mystery since its discovery in 1936. Researchers have used seismic waves from earthquakes to study its rotation speed and direction, leading to debates and differing interpretations over the years. Recent evidence supports a model where the core's rotation has slowed down and even reversed relative to the fluid layers around it. This slowdown follows a 70-year cycle, with the core expected to start speeding up again in the coming years. The implications of this inner core movement on Earth, particularly on the magnetic field and the length of a day, are still being explored. While these changes are minuscule in terms of human perception, they offer insights into Earth's deep interior processes and the interactions between its various layers. Further research and interdisciplinary tools are needed to delve deeper into understanding the inner workings of our planet.

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Link Icon 3 comments
By @pfdietz - 3 months
Moving backward in the rotating reference frame of the Earth. In other words, it's rotating slightly more slowly than the Earth as a whole.
By @gnabgib - 3 months
Paper: Inner core backtracking by seismic waveform change reversals (11 points, 21 days ago) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40679957
By @simonblack - 3 months
I wonder if that has any effect on the periodic flipping of the north and south magnetic poles. Something has to cause that to happen.