Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Scientists from the United States and China have concluded that the Earth’s inner core has changed shape and slowed down, Azernews reports.

Until now, it was believed that the solid inner core of the Earth, located at a depth of more than 5,000 kilometers, is surrounded by a liquid outer core composed of molten iron and nickel. However, the results of a new study suggest that this understanding may not be entirely accurate. Most likely, the inner core also contains liquid metal.

This conclusion was reached after studying seismic activity records from the South Sandwich Islands, an area known for its volcanic activity. From 1991 to 2023, more than 120 earthquakes occurred there, accompanied by unusual seismic waves. According to the scientists, these waves provide insight into processes occurring thousands of kilometers beneath the Earth’s surface.

The study suggests that since the early 1990s, the rotation of the inner core has been gradually slowing down. At the same time, the core has begun to deform. Some of the "dents" formed by this process could be as deep as 100 meters, as reported by BBC News.

The deceleration process appears to have been completed by 2010, and scientists speculate that this change could have a slight effect on the length of the day. Although the impact is expected to be minimal, such alterations to Earth's rotation may influence global phenomena, including tides and the planet’s magnetic field, which is generated by the movement of the liquid outer core.

This discovery sheds new light on the dynamics of Earth’s interior and challenges previous models of the core’s structure and behavior. Further research could help us better understand the interactions between the inner core and other layers of the Earth, as well as their role in shaping the planet's geological and magnetic characteristics.