The study says that slowing down of the Earth's core will lead to a change in the length of the day.
Will the slowing down of the Earth's core affect humans in any way? Find out. (ESA)
This is fascinating! The Earth's core is reported to be slowing down relative to its surface. The idea is mind-boggling. Just try to get your mind around this. The debate among researchers on this topic has been going on for years, but now, the latest study, by University of Southern California and Cornell University, There is irrefutable evidence that the Earth's core is slowing down, and that too since about 2010.
You can also see these 10 beautiful pictures of Earth:
John Wiedel“For the first time in many decades, the inner core was slowing down,” said Deane Professor of Earth Sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
What caused the Earth's core to slow down?
According to the study, the Earth's inner core was slowing down. As the liquid iron outer core churned around it, it was also affected by the gravitational pull from regions of the rocky mantle around it.
What are the implications of the Earth's core slowing down?
Widell says the implications are, at best, only speculative. He said the slowing Earth's core could change the length of the day, but only by “fractions of a second.”
Where is the Earth's core located?
The center of the Earth is about 4500 kilometers below the surface. It is the size of our moon and this makes it a heavy and massive ball.
How did scientists come to this conclusion?
They analysed 121 recurring earthquakes, combined them with data from nuclear explosion tests, and combining all of this helped solve the mystery.
“The findings have important implications for how the geomagnetic field is generated and evolves, particularly as it protects the Earth from solar winds, which is critical for the existence of life on Earth,” said Guanning Pang, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell Engineering. The study was published in Nature.