(NLDO) - Geological waves have revealed that the Earth's inner core is not only changing its rotation speed but is also changing its shape.
A study recently published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience shows that the inner core - the "heart" of the Earth is not a smooth solid sphere but continuously bulges here and concave there over time.
The Earth has a constantly changing "heart" - AI illustration: Thu Anh
Our Earth consists of five main layers: the crust, the upper mantle (shallow mantle), the lower mantle (deep mantle), the outer core, and the inner core.
The inner core is called the "heart" of the Earth not only because it lies at the center of the sphere, but also because it influences the functioning of the planet itself.
It is one of the most mysterious engines in geophysics, spinning rapidly beneath our feet, believed to be a sphere of solid metal encased in a molten outer core.
This inner core is the center that coordinates Earth's "behaviors" such as the length of the day and fluctuations in the magnetic field.
In a new study, geophysicist John Vidale from the University of Southern California (USA) analyzed data from 168 pairs of consecutive earthquakes that occurred across the planet.
A pair of earthquakes is two earthquakes that are identical in size, type, location, etc., helping to link any observed changes in the paths of the seismic waves, which will reflect changes in the environment through which they passed.
According to Science Alert , this new data has helped them confirm once again that this inner core does not rotate in sync with the rest of the globe.
More importantly, the data reflect that the inner core is not always perfectly round, but is constantly bulging and concave in different places, as a kind of response to the operation of the molten outer core.
This has led scientists to suggest that the Earth's "heart" is not the solid iron-nickel mass we thought. At least the surface of the core is quite soft, with metals sitting right at their melting points.
The new discoveries contribute greatly to the adjustment of geophysical models, as well as to explain the constant changes of our planet since its formation until now, which have had a significant impact on the progress of life.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/phat-hien-bat-ngo-lien-quan-den-trai-tim-cua-trai-dat-196250213104859807.htm
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