Jakarta – Scientists have confirmed a significant shift in the Earth‘s core rotation, a phenomenon with subtle but potentially measurable impacts on our daily lives. Research conducted by teams in the United States and China revealed the Earth’s core slowed and even temporarily paused its rotation relative to the planet’s surface in early 2024,a change largely unnoticed by the general public until now.
The Earth’s core, composed primarily of iron and nickel, is divided into a liquid outer core – crucial for generating the Earth’s magnetic field - and a solid inner core reaching temperatures as high as 5,700 degrees Celsius. The outer core begins approximately 2,896 kilometers beneath the Earth’s surface, while the inner core starts around 5,149 kilometers down.
For decades, scientists believed the core rotated at a relatively stable rate beneath the Earth’s crust. However, analysis of seismic waves generated by earthquakes has demonstrated that this rotation is not constant, but fluctuates. These fluctuations can be dramatic,with the core sometimes rotating as quickly as the crust,and at other times appearing to stall.
Crucially, this doesn’t indicate a reversal of the core’s spin. Rather,it appears slower due to the Earth’s crust rotating at a different pace.The core isn’t stopping entirely, but ceasing to change relative to the crust. The slowing trend began around 2009, with the core and crust initially moving in sync, followed by a gradual deceleration of the core’s rotation. Scientists estimate the core’s rotational direction shifts relative to the crust approximately every 35 years, completing a full cycle over 70 years.
while imperceptible to humans directly, these changes can subtly alter the length of days, though by onyl milliseconds. More significantly, the shifts impact precise astronomical measurements and the functioning of satellites. Moreover, scientists suggest potential links between core rotation and fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field and climate patterns, though further research is needed to fully understand these connections.
(rns/agt)
