Chinese scientists say that the Earth's core, located more than 5,000 kilometers deep, could
be reversing its rotation
.
The results of the research, based on the analysis of dozens of earthquakes, were published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience.
According to its authors, this variation is correlated with small changes in geophysical observations on the Earth's surface, such as the magnetic field or the increase or decrease in the length of the days.
It is
the most inaccessible point on the planet
.
The article is signed by Xiaodong Song and Yi Yang, researchers at Peking University in China, who say they are
"quite surprised"
by the conclusions.
The results could help to clarify
many mysteries deep within the Earth
, such as the role played by the inner core in maintaining the planet's magnetic field and in the speed of rotation and, therefore, in the length of the day, they explain in Nature.
Victor Ramos, geologist, president of the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, emeritus researcher at Conicet and emeritus professor at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), explains the change that Chinese scientists observed.
"The nucleus has two parts, the internal one, which is solid, and the external one, which is molten (liquid state) and moves chaotically, that is,
without universal laws that allow us to predict what will happen
," he explains.
And he warns: "A
small decrease in the speed at which the molten core moves
has now been detected , compared to what happened a few years ago."
This, as he clarifies,
does not imply a change of direction
: "If you have two cars that go 100 km/h and at a moment one starts to go 99 km/h, it may seem that the 99 km/h one is going backwards when, in reality, what you are doing is slowing down.
That is what the investigators detected”, details Ramos.
The way to measure the velocity of the core is from
deep earthquakes
.
“These earthquakes are not felt on the surface, but they can be analyzed with the same seismographs that are used to detect those ground movements that are perceptible to humans,” he comments.
So far, the variation referred to in Chinese research is very slight, so
there would be no associated consequences
.
However, in the event of registering any other significant change, it
could alter the Earth's magnetic field
, which is given by the movement of the outer core on the inner one.
"As we already said,
there is no way to know if
or when this will happen. It is also not clear
why it slowed down
, "says the geologist.
"Altering the magnetic field would lead to having to make adjustments to the navigation systems (of planes and ships, among others) that depend on the possibility of identifying north," says Ramos.
Meanwhile, he assures that these phenomena have nothing to do with human behavior and that what happens with respect to the speed of the nucleus
will not be felt on the surface either
.
Finally, it stands out that scientists from the United States doubt the results presented by the team of researchers from China.
"California's referents say that
the data is very speculative
and that there is a lack of certainty," concludes Ramos.
ACE
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