Earth-inner-core- Archives

Earth's day-night cycle, defined as a precise 24-hour period, serves as the cornerstone of our daily routines. Yet, the reality of our planet's rotation is far from precise. As Earth hurtles around the Sun at a staggering 107,000 kilometers per hour (67,000 miles per hour), its wobbly, molten interior and interactions with the Moon introduce subtle irregularities to the planet's rotation. Decoding Earth's Wobbly Spin While many short-term fluctuations in Earth's day-length have well-known causes such as the Moon's gravitational pull and shifting water volumes geophysicists have observed minute variations over millennial timescales that remain enigmatic. These fluctuations, amounting to just 3 to 4 milliseconds every thousand years, have perplexed scientists for decades. A team of ...

A groundbreaking study has found "clear evidence" that the Earth's inner core has slowed its rotation relative to the planet's surface since 2010, potentially affecting the length of a day by a fraction of a second. The inner core, a solid sphere of iron and nickel, is encased within the liquid outer core and stabilized by gravity. Researchers typically study the core through seismograms, which record waves generated by earthquakes. "When I first saw the seismograms showing these changes, I was shocked," said John Widale, Earth sciences professor at the University of Southern California. "But after finding dozens more observations with the same pattern, the conclusion was inescapable. The inner core has slowed down for the first time in decades," added Widale, co-author of the study ...

Tag: Earth-inner-core-

Wobbly Earth Shifts in Molten Core Could Be Altering Day-Length Fluctuations

Slowing of Earth’s Inner Core May Alter Length of Days, Study Reveals