Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Apr 21, 2025

The Earth's core has stopped spinning and may have reversed direction

The Earth's core has stopped spinning and may have reversed direction

Scientists have found that the core of the Earth has stopped spinning and may have even reversed directions.

A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience on Monday, suggests that the solid inner core of the Earth could experience changes in its rotation every few decades.

While scientists can’t look directly at the inner core, seismic waves from powerful earthquakes and nuclear weapons have shown that the core may spin a little faster than the rest of the Earth.

The new study looks at seismic waves from the 1960s to the present day and found that starting in 2009, the behaviour of similar seismic waves suggests that the inner core may have stopped spinning a decade earlier.

Data from two pairs of nuclear blasts hint at a similar pause around 1971 leading the researchers to believe that the inner core may pause and reverse its spin every 70 years or so.

The Earth is composed of four main layers, starting with an inner core at the planet’s centre, enveloped by the outer core, mantle, and crust

Researchers believe this could be due to the Earth’s magnetic field pulling the inner core and causing it to spin, while the gravitational field of the mantle pulls in the opposite direction.

Every few decades, one force may win over the other, changing the direction in which the core spins.

Another explanation is that the pauses could be due to the surface of the inner core changing over time, according to seismologist Lianxing Wen in his 2006 paper.

The new study may help shed further light on the mysterious nature of the inner core and how it interacts with Earth’s other layers.

The Earth is composed of four main layers, starting with an inner core at the planet’s centre, enveloped by the outer core, mantle, and crust.

Scientists have found that the core of the Earth has stopped spinning and may have even reversed directions


The inner core is a solid sphere made of iron and nickel metals about 1,221 kilometres in radius.

The big question is if any of this is a cause for worry? Scientists don’t think so.

‘It’s probably benign, but we don’t want to have things we don’t understand deep in the Earth,’ John Vidale, a geophysicist at the University of Southern California, told The Washington Post.

‘It’s certainly possible we’ll never figure it out,’ Vidale told The New York Times. ‘I’m an optimist. The pieces are going to fall into place someday.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Prince Andrew Joins Royal Family Attends Easter Sunday Service at Windsor Castle
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Here’s a police officer with a brilliant gift for swift education
"Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
Canadian Federal Election: Candidates' Positions on US-Canada Relations and Donald Trump
Resentencing Hearing for Menendez Brothers Who Killed Their Parents Delayed Amid Legal Disputes
Australian Woman Gives Birth To Stranger's Baby In IVF Mix-up
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
California Launches Legal Challenge Against Trump Administration's Tariffs
"Groundless": China Dismisses Zelensky's Claims It's Supplying Arms To Russia
UK Psytrance Festival Cancelled Amid Local Protests Over Noise Concerns
French Far-Right Writer Renaud Camus Denied Entry to UK
UK Police Force Updates Search Policy for Trans Individuals in Custody
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
Canada's Federal Party Leaders Engage in Final Debate Ahead of General Election
Ukraine and US Sign Outline of Minerals Deal
Fast Food Chain Refuses to Apologize for Online Comment About Katy Perry's Space Voyage
New York Attorney General Letitia James Faces Criminal Referral for Alleged Mortgage Fraud
Mark Cuban admits support for Trump executive order: ‘Gotta be honest’
US Senator Meets with Deported Immigrant in El Salvador Amid Custody Dispute
U.S. State Department Raises El Salvador’s Safety Ranking, Making It Safer Than France and Other European Nations
UK Government Assumes Control of British Steel's Scunthorpe Plant Amid Shutdown Threat
UK MP Wera Hobhouse Denied Entry to Hong Kong During Family Visit
Bangladesh Issues Arrest Warrant for UK MP Tulip Siddiq
China Urges United States to Cancel Tariffs Amid Escalating Trade Tensions
The Empire’s USD Pyramid Scheme Is Working Brilliantly—So Why ‘Fix’ It?
China Raises Tariffs on U.S. Goods to 125% Amid Escalating Trade Dispute
Elon Musk Reports $150 Billion in Projected Government Savings Amid Fraud Investigations
U.S. and Panama Finalize Defense Agreements Amid Canal Access and Chinese Influence Concerns
China Stands Firm Amidst Trade Disputes with the US: A Factual Analysis
U.S. Tariff Escalation Sparks Global Trade Tensions
Helicopter crashes in NYC with four people on board.
Australia Dismisses China's Suggestion to Collaborate Against US Tariffs
EU Postpones Response to US Tariffs
The Trump Administration is contemplating removing Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges.
Violent Incidents and Public Safety Concerns Escalate in London and County Durham
UK MP Arrested on Suspicion of Rape and Child Sex Offences
UK Gears Up to Respond to US Tariffs with Industrial Strategies and Trade Initiatives
‘Rocky’ star Dolph Lundgren and his wife Emma Krokdal bask in the Miami sunshine following the actor’s lengthy health struggles.
Spain Encounters Countrywide Protests as Housing Crisis Intensifies
Alisha Lehmann's Modeling Campaign and Public Controversy Stir Debate Ahead of UEFA Women's Euro
U.S. Firms with Major International Revenue Exposure in Light of New Tariffs
President Trump Calls on the Federal Reserve to Reduce Interest Rates in Light of New Tariffs
President Trump Prolongs TikTok Sale Deadline by 75 Days
×