Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
The Earth is changing shape – or at least its inner core is.
That’s according to a new study, which found the solid inner core of iron and nickel was being deformed where it meets the liquid outer core and becomes more of a jelly.
The study’s authors discovered this by studying seismic signals from earthquakes repeating in the same place over a 32-year period.
The same group previously used the data to show the inner core was rotating at different speeds from the rest of the planet.
The professor leading the research said his new study “doesn’t affect our daily lives one iota”, but he shouldn’t be so coy.
The inner core is 70 per cent of the size of the Moon and just 4,000 miles below the Earth’s surface, while the deepest hole humans have ever dug is 12 kilometres.
It’s humbling to know so little about what’s beneath our feet.
