Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Earth's inner core is the innermost geologic layer of the planet Earth. It is primarily a solid ball with a radius of about 1,220 km (760 mi), which is about 20% of Earth's radius or 70% of the Moon's radius. [1] [2] There are no samples of the core accessible for direct measurement, as there are for Earth's mantle. [3]
Scientists say they’ve confirmed Earth’s inner core has been slowing down. Here’s what it could mean — and why the topic has been the subject of fierce debate.
It also predicted that, if the viscosity were too low (less than 3 x 10 16 Pa·s), the inner core would not be able to maintain its seismic anisotropy. [27] However, the source of the anisotropy is still not well understood. A model of the viscosity of the inner core based on Earth's nutations constrains the viscosity to 2–7 × 10 14 Pa·s ...
The inner core is anisotropic, causing seismic waves to vary in speed depending on their direction of travel. P-waves, in particular, move more quickly along the inner core's rotational axis than across the equatorial plane. [42] This suggests that Earth's rotation affects the alignment of iron crystals during the core's solidification. [46]
The findings open up new ways to investigate the inner core, according to lead author Thanh-Son Phạm. ANU also believes the innermost inner core hints at a major event in Earth's past that had a ...
A USC professor has confirmed what many scientists already believed: Rotation of the solid iron ball at Earth's center is slowing.
“We infer the inner core rotation changes direction every 35 years,” Dr. Song told McClatchy News. Earth’s core might be reversing its spin. It ‘won’t affect our daily lives,’ expert says
The transition between the inner core and outer core is located approximately 5,150 km (3,200 mi) beneath Earth's surface. Earth's inner core is the innermost geologic layer of the planet Earth. It is primarily a solid ball with a radius of about 1,220 km (760 mi), which is about 19% of Earth's radius [0.7% of volume] or 70% of the Moon's radius.