February 11, 2025 – A new study conducted by scientists from the University of Southern California reveals significant structural changes in Earth’s inner core, which are causing alterations in the planet’s rotation and length of days. The findings highlight the role of topographical activity in these changes and provide new insights into the behavior of the inner core.
The research team analyzed seismic waveform data from 121 repeating earthquakes recorded between 1991 and 2024 near Antarctica’s South Sandwich Islands. Their analysis indicates that the near surface of Earth’s inner core undergoes structural changes, which are best explained as temporal deformations in its shape. These deformations are thought to be caused by disturbances from the turbulent molten outer core.
John Vidale, the principal investigator of the study, stated, “We didn’t set out to define the physical nature of the inner core. What we ended up discovering is evidence that the near surface of Earth’s inner core undergoes structural change.”
The study marks the first time that the turbulence of the molten outer core has been observed to disrupt the inner core on a human timescale. This discovery sheds light on the complex interactions between Earth’s core layers and their impact on the planet’s rotational dynamics.
Further research is needed to fully understand the implications of these findings and how they might affect Earth’s geological and geophysical processes. However, the study opens new avenues for exploring the inner workings of our planet’s core.