Recent studies indicate that the Earth's core has undergone significant changes over the past 15 years, with implications for the planet's surface yet to be understood.
American geophysicist John Emilio Vidale from the University of Southern California presented findings at the American Geophysical Union, suggesting a slowdown and deformation in the inner core's shape.
Due to the lack of direct instruments to probe the inner layers, researchers analyzed seismic waves from earthquakes occurring near the South Sandwich Islands, which are located near Antarctica. These waves travel through the Earth and provide data about their interactions with the inner core.
In 2023, geophysicists reported differences in seismic waveforms, indicating that the inner core may have stopped moving or reversed its movement. Vidale's analysis of 200 earthquake pairs from 1991 to 2024 concluded that changes in the inner core's shape could explain these phenomena.
Previous studies, including one by Lianxing Wen from Stony Brook University in 2006, noted that the core's surface might rise or fall by hundreds of meters per decade as it cools.
While Wen's research suggested that the inner core's rotation remains consistent with Earth's, Vidale posits that the core's rotation has slowed. The impact of these changes on life on Earth remains uncertain, with Vidale stating, 'We don't know how this is going to affect anything on the surface.'