The recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) has confirmed that Earth’s inner core has slowed down for the first time in many decades. This discovery has raised questions about the potential impacts on Earth’s rotation and the length of a day. The inner core, a super-hot, super-dense ball of iron and nickel located more than 3,000 miles below the surface, is difficult to study due to its inaccessible nature.
The study, published in Nature, analyzed seismic data from repeating earthquakes recorded between 1991 and 2023 around the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic. By studying how seismic waves interact and move through the planet, researchers were able to determine the position and movement of the inner core. The apparent slowing down of the inner core, which began around 2010, is believed to be influenced by the motion of the liquid iron outer core generating Earth’s magnetic field and gravitational forces.
While the decrease in speed of the inner core may cause slight alterations in the length of a day, the changes are minimal and nearly imperceptible to humans, on the order of a thousandth of a second. This slight shift in Earth’s rotation is unlikely to have any significant impact on daily life or the planet’s overall stability.
The implications of this discovery add to our understanding of the complex dynamics of Earth’s deep geological layers. Scientists will continue to monitor the inner core’s movement closely to unravel the mysteries of our planet’s inner workings and further investigate the evolving behavior of Earth’s rotation. The ongoing research aims to provide more insights into why the inner core is shifting and how it may influence other geophysical phenomena in the future.
