Earth¡¯s inner core has slowed down and is moving backward, here is what it means
This inner core was discovered by Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann in 1936, and since then, its movement, rotation speed, and direction have been at the center of a decades-long debate.
Earth's inner core, the innermost geologic layer of our planet, which is a solid ball with a radius of about 1,220 km, is now rotating in the opposite direction than when it was discovered nearly a century ago, scientists have said. A study led by Dr. John Vidale, Dean¡¯s Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California¡¯s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has confirmed a slow deceleration of Earth¡¯s inner core rotation to the point where it is moving backward.
Science Direct
Earth¡¯s inner core
This inner core was discovered by Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann in 1936, and since then, its movement, rotation speed, and direction have been at the center of a decades-long debate.
Also read: How Oscillation Of Earth¡¯s Inner Core Causes Variation In The Length Of Each Day
¡°Differential rotation of the inner core was proposed as a phenomenon in the 1970s and ¡¯80s, but it wasn¡¯t until the ¡¯90s that seismological evidence was published,¡± said Dr. Lauren Waszek, a senior lecturer of physical sciences at James Cook University in Australia.
Science Direct
What scientists found
In 2023, some scientists had suggested that the inner core, which had once spun faster than Earth, was now spinning slower. Originally, it was believed that the core¡¯s rotation matched Earth¡¯s spin, and then it began to decelerate more, moving backward relative to the fluid layers around it.
Also read: Climate Change Is Making Earth Spin Faster, May Skip One Second On World Clock In 2029
70-year cycle
Researchers now believe that the change in the speed and direction of the Earth's inner core is part of a 70-year cycle.
¡°We¡¯ve been arguing about this for 20 years, and I think this nails it. I think we¡¯ve ended the debate on whether the inner core moves, and what¡¯s been its pattern for the last couple of decades,¡± Vidale said.
The implications of the shift, including how it may interfere, if at all, with Earth¡¯s magnetic field, still remain a mystery.
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