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Gravitational Torque Identified as Primary Driver of Decadal Day-Length Shifts
science15 days ago

Gravitational Torque Identified as Primary Driver of Decadal Day-Length Shifts

A new study published in Nature identifies gravitational torque between Earth's inner core and mantle as the primary driver of multidecadal changes in the length of a day. Researchers Huifeng Zhang and Mathieu Dumberry found that this gravitational influence competes with electromagnetic and topographic coupling, which act as buffers. These deep interior interactions have altered the day's length by several milliseconds between the early 1970s and 2021, providing new constraints on the physical properties of Earth's deep layers.

via Interesting Engineering|
#earths-core#geophysics#gravitational-torque
Gravitational Torque from Earth's Inner Core Drives Multidecadal Shifts in Day Length
science16 days ago

Gravitational Torque from Earth's Inner Core Drives Multidecadal Shifts in Day Length

A new study in Nature identifies gravitational torque between Earth's inner core and mantle as the primary driver of multidecadal changes in the length of day (LOD). While electromagnetic and topographic forces at the core-mantle boundary act as resisting mechanisms, the gravitational influence dominates. This finding provides new constraints on the physical properties of Earth's deep interior, including the viscosity of the inner core and the conductivity of the lowermost mantle.

via Nature|
#earths-core#geophysics#magnetism
Deep Earth Gravity Tug-of-War Explains Decadal Shifts in Day Length
science16 days ago

Deep Earth Gravity Tug-of-War Explains Decadal Shifts in Day Length

A new study in Nature reveals that gravitational forces between Earth's inner core and mantle are the primary driver of small, multidecadal changes in the length of a day. Researchers Huifeng Zhang and Mathieu Dumberry found that this gravitational torque competes with electromagnetic and mechanical forces, creating a balance that subtly alters planetary rotation by milliseconds over decades.

via nature.com|
#earths-core#geophysics#nature
Earth's Inner Core May Be Dominated by Superionic Hydrogen
science2 months ago

Earth's Inner Core May Be Dominated by Superionic Hydrogen

New modeling suggests the inner core could host abundant superionic hydrogen—hydrogen that flows like a liquid and conducts electricity—with the hexagonal close-packed (HCP) phase likely more stable than body-centered cubic (BCC) under core conditions. Partitioning of hydrogen is driven mainly by temperature rather than pressure, creating a radial gradient that concentrates hydrogen toward the inner-core boundary where it re-partitions into a liquid that enriches the outer core. This ongoing exchange, plus inner-core growth, could provide chemical buoyancy to power the geodynamo, while other light elements like oxygen and carbon likely further shape the core's composition and evolution.

via Yahoo|
#earths-core#hydrogen#inner-core
Earth’s Hidden Core Within a Core Revealed by Seismic Echoes
science2 months ago

Earth’s Hidden Core Within a Core Revealed by Seismic Echoes

ANU seismologists in 2023 provided evidence that Earth contains an innermost inner core—a roughly 1,300-km-diameter iron sphere with crystal orientation different from the surrounding inner core—reconstructed from global seismic echoes after large earthquakes. This fifth, hidden layer tightens the picture of Earth's deep structure and may reflect an early-formed core or a different iron phase; the same seismic approach is now used to study rocky planets like Mars.

via Space Daily|
#anisotropy#earths-core#innermost-inner-core
Pacific Core Flow Reverses, Revealing a Dynamic Geodynamo
science4 months ago

Pacific Core Flow Reverses, Revealing a Dynamic Geodynamo

ESA satellites detected a sudden reversal of flow in Earth's liquid outer core beneath the Pacific in 2010, showing the core is more variable than once believed and offering new insights into the geodynamo that sustains Earth’s magnetic field; scientists will monitor whether this is a temporary fluctuation, part of a cycle, or a new stable state with potential impacts on navigation and space weather models.

via Indian Defence Review|
#earths-core#esa-swarm#geodynamo
Ancient Geomagnetic Reversals Were Longer and Messier Than Thought
science7 months ago

Ancient Geomagnetic Reversals Were Longer and Messier Than Thought

A Newfoundland sediment core reveals two magnetic polarity reversals around 40 million years ago lasting about 18,000 and 70,000 years, far longer and more variable than the commonly cited ~10,000-year reversals. The findings suggest reversals are chaotic and driven by the Earth's geodynamo in the outer core, implying future reversals could last tens of thousands of years and may increase exposure to cosmic radiation with potential climate and biological impacts.

via ScienceAlert|
#brunhes-matuyama#earths-core#geodynamo
Earth’s Core Could Hold 45 Oceans of Water, New Study Suggests
science7 months ago

Earth’s Core Could Hold 45 Oceans of Water, New Study Suggests

A Nature Communications study led by Motohiko Murakami suggests hydrogen from early Earth became chemically bound inside the metallic core as iron hydrides, not as free gas or water. If hydrogen accounts for up to about 0.36% of the core’s mass, this could translate to roughly 45 oceans’ worth of water, implying Earth’s surface water may be just a fraction of a much larger deep-water inventory formed during planet formation.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#earths-core#high-pressure-experiments#hydrogen
Earth's Core May Harbor Massive Hydrogen Reserves, Redrawing Water's Origin
science8 months ago

Earth's Core May Harbor Massive Hydrogen Reserves, Redrawing Water's Origin

A Nature Communications study estimates Earth’s molten iron core could host a vast hydrogen reservoir—potentially the planet’s largest—amounting to about 0.07% to 0.36% of the core’s weight, equivalent to roughly nine to 45 hydrogen oceans. Using atom probe tomography and high-pressure iron experiments to mimic core formation, researchers examined how hydrogen interacts with silicon and oxygen under extreme conditions. If confirmed, this suggests Earth acquired most of its water during its early growth rather than via late comet deliveries and may relate to heat flow that helps power the magnetic field; however, the estimate relies on indirect methods with uncertainties, and further work is needed to refine the numbers.

via cnn.com|
#diamond-anvil-cell#dongyang-huang#earths-core
New Discoveries Reveal Complex Layers and States in Earth's Inner Core
science9 months ago

New Discoveries Reveal Complex Layers and States in Earth's Inner Core

A NASA-led study reveals a strong correlation between Earth's magnetic field and atmospheric oxygen levels over the past 540 million years, suggesting that processes in Earth's molten core have played a crucial role in creating conditions suitable for complex life, with implications for understanding planetary habitability and the search for life on exoplanets.

via Earth.com|
#earths-core#geophysical-research#magnetic-field