Scientists discover a “new hidden world” in the heart of the Earth

Posted:

Oct 28, 2021 15:09 GMT

The latest study has yielded new data about Earth’s core that could revolutionize the estimation of our planet’s magnetic field.

Researchers from the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Science (USA) and the Agency for Marine and Earth Science and Technology (Japan) have published a report study in the journal Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors in which they suggest that the Earth’s inner core is not entirely solid (as was thought over half a century ago), but rather its constancy It varies from carbide to semi-fine and even liquid.

“The more we look at it, the more we realize it’s not a boring iron ball,” hung Jessica Irving, a seismologist at the University of Bristol (UK), who was not involved in the study. We are finding A whole new hidden world“.

Irving explains that by collecting data from seismic waves generated by earthquakes, geophysicists can create a picture of the inner workings of the planet in a way that is “similar to a human CT.”

There are two main types of waves: straight line pressure waves and undulating shear waves. Each wave can travel from one end of the Earth to the other, and depending on the material it passes through, Its speed and direction vary.

Rhett Butler, one of the authors of the new study, analyzed seismic waves generated by large earthquakes that passed through the Earth’s core. Butler noticed that the undulating shear waves, which should have passed through a solid ball of metal, are deflected in certain areas, which can only mean one thing: the planet’s core. Not solid at allInstead, it has bits of liquid and “soft” iron near its surface.

“We’re looking at a lot of details inside the inner core that we haven’t seen before,” Butler said.

This search can A revolution is possible Our estimate of Earth’s magnetic field, as it is modulated by the inner core, and according to the study authors, a deeper understanding of this core is essential to understanding Link Between the planet’s interior and its magnetic activity.