Scientists discover that the inner core of the earth is accidentally solid than expected

If you buy links to our articles, the future and its syndicate partners can earn a commission.

The scientists held for the inner core of the earth for a long time A solid metal ballLike a planet on a planet that is around 3,828 kilometers below the surface.

However, researchers at the University of Southern Carolina (USC) say that – almost by chance – they may be much more formible.

John Vidale, Dean Professor of Geosciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, who was the main researcher of the new study In a statement that the researchers “did not want to define the physical nature of the inner core”.

The USC scientists originally pursued how the inner rotation speed of our planet decreases, since earlier studies showed that the core is Slowdown. The method of diagrams includes the examination of seismic waveform data of earthquakes.

The team used the data of 121 repetition earthquake Between 1991 and 2024; The selected events occurred at 42 different locations near the uninhabited southern sandwich islands, which are located north of the Antarctic.

The USC scientists examined the waveforms when they came across some surprising data that contradicted our previous understanding of the inner core of the earth. A data record with wave shapes contained some uncharacteristic properties that the team had not expected.

– layers of the earth: research our planet from inside and outside

– The core of the earth wiggles every 8.5 years, according to new study, so

– The solid inner core of the earth is “surprisingly soft” thanks to hyperactive atoms that romp around

“When I analyzed seismograms worth several decades, a data set with seismic waves prompted the others curiously,” said Vidale. “It later became clear to me that I stared at evidence that the inner core was not solid.”

After Vidales team improved the resolution technology, they found that the seismic wave shapes “represented additional physical activity of the inner core”. The data prompted you to assume that the inner core moves a little instead of staying completely solid.

“What we discovered in the end is proof that the nearby surface of Earth“In the inner core, there is structurally changed,” said Vidale.

According to the researchers, the structural change can refer to the slowdown of the inner core and lead to a better understanding of the earth and magnetic fields of the earth. In addition, the change could “change the length of one day meticulously”.

Research was published on February 10 in the journal Nature Geoscientific.