Earth's Inner Core Rotation
New research suggests that Earth's inner core has slowed its rotation, challenging previous notions and raising questions about its influence on Earth's dynamics. The inner core had been believed to super-rotate faster than the rest of the Earth, but recent data shows it has slowed down and even reversed direction.
Key Points
- Inner core's rotation has slowed and reversed direction
- Interactions between inner core, outer core, and mantle are more complex than thought
- Implications for Earth's magnetic field, climate, and length of days
Pros
- Challenges previous notions about the inner core's behavior
- Raises intriguing questions about its influence on Earth's dynamics
- Provides new insights into the complexity of the inner core's rotation
Cons
- Limited spatial coverage of seismic data
- Simplified representation in Earth system models