Earth's inner core may have changed shape, say scientists
Scientists believe the Earth's inner core may have undergone a change in shape over the past 20 years. The inner core is typically considered to be spherical in shape, however, its edges could have deformed by 100 meters or more in height, as suggested by research led by Professor John Vidale. Earth's core is the core of our planet's life-support system, generating a magnetic field that shields life from the Sun's hazardous radiation. The Earth's inner core rotates independently of its liquid outer core and the rest of the planet. If this movement did not occur, the Earth would cease to exist and would become similar to Mars, which lost its magnetic field billions of years ago. The change in shape may be occurring at the point where the edge of the solid inner core meets the extremely hot liquid metal of the outer core. The research is published in Nature Geoscience, a scientific journal. The researchers sought to understand why the inner core had ...