The rotation of Earth's solid inner core is believed to have stopped recently, and according to Chinese scientists, the core appears to be preparing to reverse its motion. Based on the indications so far, the inversion cycle will end within the next decade, while the possible effects on the planet's surface should be investigated.
The researchers, led by Peking University seismologist Xiaotong Zhang, who published a paper in the journal Nature Geoscience, based their estimates on an analysis of seismic waves from nearly identical earthquakes that followed similar “tracks” and penetrated the Earth's core since the 1960s. Today.
After the 1970s, the inner core rapidly rotated eastward until 2009–2011, when its rotation appears to have stalled, possibly due to an impending reversal of rotation direction.
In the opposite direction, this time to the west, the researchers estimate that the upcoming new shift in the center's rotation is part of a six- to seven-decade cycle (a theory that requires confirmation). Based on this model, the core is expected to rotate rapidly westward until the 2040s, when it will stop moving eastward again and shift again.
The 1,220-kilometer-radius inner core, with Sun-like temperatures and composed mainly of iron and nickel, is separated from the solid Earth by the liquid outer core, allowing it to rotate otherwise. The planet itself. The rotation of the inner core is influenced by the magnetic field generated by the outer molten core and is balanced by the gravitational effects of the mantle, the intermediate layer of the Earth between the core and the crust. The rotational speed of the core and how much it changes remains a matter of scientific debate.
Also under discussion is how the rotation direction of the inner core relates to geophysical changes on our planet's surface, such as the magnetic field and the length of the day, which is thought to have a correlation.
