Danish Seismologist Lehmann made this discovery in 1936, and ever since then, the earth’s inner core has led to fascinating reveals by researchers. The speed and direction of this rotation have been the subject of debate for decades. Recent studies and evidence suggest that the core’s spinning direction has changed in the last few years.
Dayanthie Weeraratne, Geological science professor at CSUN (California State University Northridge), said, “If the core has stopped or shifted spinning, this means that there could be some slight variation in the length of day that the world is accustomed to: shortened by a few more milliseconds than usual.”
According to a CNN report, Earth’s deep interior is impossible to observe directly, so Seismologists have collected information about the inner core’s motion by monitoring large earthquake waves. Waves of similar strengths passing the core have allowed scientists to scale the changes in the inner core’s position and calculate its spin.
Dr Waszek, a senior lecturer of physical science at James Cook University in Australia, stated, “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.”
A promising model proposed in 2023 described how the Earth’s inner core spun faster in the past but is now spinning slower. For a period, the core’s rotation matched Earth’s spin, and, following a further reduction in speed, it eventually started moving backwards.
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