Researchers Discover Earth’s Inner Core Wobbles Every 8.5 Years
A team of researchers led by Ding Hao, a professor at the School of Surveying and Mapping of Wuhan University, has made a groundbreaking discovery about the Earth’s inner core. According to their research, the Earth’s inner core swings around its axis of rotation every 8.5 years, a phenomenon they have termed the “inner core wobble.”
The researchers first noticed the deviation in the polar shift, a regular occurrence that happens every 8.5 years. After verifying the core’s oscillation cycle by measuring tiny changes in global day length and comparing them with deviations from the polar motion, they concluded that a 0.17-degree tilt between Earth’s core and mantle caused the wobble.
This discovery challenges the traditional theory of Earth’s rotation, which assumes that the rotation axis of the Earth’s core coincides with the rotation axis of the Earth’s mantle. The research has broad implications for understanding the Earth’s geophysical dynamics, including the length of the day and the Earth’s magnetic field, which protects humans from solar radiation.
John Vale, a professor of earth sciences at the University of Southern California, noted that this research helps to identify the differences in the metal composition of the inner and outer cores and estimate the direction and speed of the inner core’s swing. While the study did not take into account atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrological influences, it is undeniably a significant discovery that will aid future research in understanding the dynamic relationship between the Earth’s inner core and natural events affecting humans.
The team’s research paper was published in the journal Nature Communications on December 8 last year, shedding light on the cause and implications of this newfound inner core wobble.
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