An Orbiting Satellite Triad Reveals Motions Inside Earth

An Orbiting Satellite Triad Reveals Motions Inside Earth

Our planet's liquid iron outer core is slowly giving up its secrets to a trio of satellites launched by ESA in 2013. Called Swarm, the three probes have been studying Earth's magnetic field at the source. In the process, they've revealed startling changes in a molten layer region 2,200 kilometers beneath the Pacific Ocean. In 2010, material in that area of Earth's outer core changed direction. Insteading of moving slowly westward, it's now heade…

Scientists Took a Look Inside Earth’s Core—and Made a Surprising Discovery

No one knows why the river of liquid iron flowing 1,400 miles beneath our feet just reversed course.

In 2010, Earth’s molten core suddenly reversed direction and scientists don’t know why

A river of molten iron, more than 2,000 kilometers below the surface, appears to have pulled off something Earth scientists did not expect. Around 2010, a broad patch of fluid in the outer core beneath the equatorial Pacific stopped drifting west and began moving sharply east. This reversed a pattern long treated as one of the deep planet’s more stable habits. That change did not happen where people can see it, or feel it, and it poses no direct…

Earth’s core suddenly reversed direction beneath the Pacific

Strange shift in Earth’s core challenges long-held assumptions. Continue reading Earth’s core suddenly reversed direction beneath the Pacific on Tech Explorist.