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In 2019, scientists observed an intriguing periodic oscillation deep within the Earth, manifesting approximately every 8.5 years. By meticulously tracking subtle shifts in the Earth’s rotation, the research team has proposed a plausible explanation: the Earth’s inner core might be positioned at an angle relative to the mantle.

This enigmatic phenomenon, termed the “Inner Core Wobble,” has led to the hypothesis that the inner core exhibits greater density and weight in the northwestern hemisphere, causing a 0.17-degree tilt away from the planet’s mantle. The findings, outlined in a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, have the potential to reshape our comprehension of the Earth’s internal structure, shedding new light on the interactions between seismic activity, the magnetic field, and the inner core’s dynamics.

Traditional models propose that the Earth’s core rotates in alignment with the mantle, assuming a uniform density distribution in both layers. However, Hao Ding, coauthor and dean of the geophysics department at Wuhan University in China, highlighted, “Results of the Earth’s free oscillation indicate that the density structures of the Earth’s interior are highly heterogeneous, challenging the realism of this assumption.”

This challenges our understanding of the Earth’s layer movement, suggesting a potential eastward differential rotation angle of the inner core of less than 1 degree and a misalignment in the symmetry axes between the lower mantle/core-mantle boundary layer and the upper mantle.

The study reveals that, especially at the junction of the inner core with its surrounding layers, there is a discernible density change, leading to a periodic wobbling of the Earth’s core. These findings could have broader implications. According to Ding, the tilt between the inner core and mantle “may also lead to a certain change in the shape of the liquid core, resulting in a change in the fluid motion and a corresponding change in the geomagnetic field.” Nevertheless, the research is just scratching the surface, and further investigation is essential to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate dynamics beneath the Earth’s surface.

This article is republished from FUTRISMCOM under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.