Scientists have discovered that the Earth's core is changing shape - and they're trying to figure out why.
A new study suggests that the planet’s inner core may have actually changed shape over the past 20 years.
Our planet's core plays a vital role in generating Earth's magnetic field, which shields us from harmful radiation.
So, any changes happening there could have major implications.
Advert
The inner core is a solid ball of iron and nickel and rotates separately from the rest of the planet. Without this movement, Earth could end up like Mars, which lost its magnetic field billions of years ago.
The team of scientists believe this shift in the core’s shape may have slightly altered the length of our days. Although scientists have never been able to reach the core, most of the research has been investigating the way it rotates.
Sitting about 3,000 - 4,000 miles beneath the Earth's surface, the inner core was long thought to be a perfect sphere.
Advert
But, according to Professor John Vidale, leader of the study, the edges of the inner core may have undergone a process called 'viscous deformation.'
The edges of the core may have deformed by over 100 metres due to interactions with the hot, molten outer core, the team suspects.
These findings are a result of studying seismographs from previous decades. They specifically looked at 121 repeating earthquakes from 42 locations near the South Sandwich Islands in Antarctica.
When they noticed some seismic waves behaving differently than expected, they realised the inner core may be holding more physical activity than previously believed.
Advert
“The molten outer core is widely known to be turbulent, but its turbulence had not been observed to disrupt its neighbour the inner core on a human timescale,” said John Vidale, from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
“What we’re observing in this study for the first time is likely the outer core disturbing the inner core.”
Their research has been published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Advert
Prof Hrvoje Tkalcic from Australian National University, who was not involved in the study, shared his thoughts and described the study as an 'interesting concept that should be explored further.'
He stated that this research could allow scientists to make 'more informed estimates of some important material properties, such as the viscosity of the inner core, which is one of the least known quantities in modern science.'