Inner core of Earth possibly rotating in opposite direction, study suggests
The researchers suggested that the Earth's inner core stopped spinning in the same direction as the Earth's, and may even have begun to spin in the opposite direction.
Resembling a hot iron ball the size of Pluto, "Earth's inner core no longer rotates in the same direction as the planet, but may even spin in the opposite direction," according to research published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience.
About 5,000 km below the surface, the "planet within the planet" can rotate independently as the liquid metal floats inside its outer core.
Since the rotation of the inner core is a matter of debate among scientists, the latest research is expected to create controversy in the scientific world. Because what is known about the inner core is quite limited.
The research, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, analyzed seismic waves from earthquakes over the past sixty years to track the movements of the inner core.
In their published paper, geophysicists Yi Yang and Xiaodong Song from Peking University in Beijing write, "We show surprising observations that indicate the inner core has nearly ceased its rotation in the recent decade and may be experiencing a turning-back in a multidecadal oscillation, with another turning point in the early 1970s."
After that, between 2009 and 2011, the inner core's rotation slowed down until it appeared to have stopped as suggested by researchers.
The inner core is now beginning to slowly spin westward in relation to the surface of the Earth. It will probably accelerate and then slow down again, coming to an apparent standstill in the 2040s and completing its most recent spin cycle in the east-west direction.
Atlas from Boston Dynamics showed his skillsNews & Culture
