Ocean Storms: New Way to Probe Earth's Core Discovered by Scientists

A study by the Australian National University (ANU) reveals that winter ocean storms near Greenland and Newfoundland generate vibrations that travel through Earth's core. Previously, scientists relied on earthquakes or artificial explosions to study the planet's depths. This discovery opens the door to exploration using the ocean's regular 'murmurs'. During storms, intense ocean waves collide, producing weak vibrations called microseisms [my-croh-size-uhms]. Unlike seismic shocks from tectonic movements, these signals originate solely from wave interaction. Their intensity is low, but their regularity makes them ideal for mapping Earth's internal structures. Researchers deployed seismometer [size-moh-muh-ter] networks in Queensland and Western Australia to detect PKP waves. These waves are a rare type of seismic wave capable of traversing the Earth's core. During the Australian summer, they recorded signals from North Atlantic winter storms, revealing shorter, more frequent, and uniform waves than those from earthquakes. The analysis suggests that vibrations once considered 'background noise' can provide data on Earth's internal layers. Atmospheric storms on other planets could generate detectable microseisms, similar to earthquakes on Earth. Future research aims to refine sensors and understand wave propagation through the Earth's core.