Articles tagged with Earth Inner Core
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A team of scientists simulated high-pressure conditions and found that onion-like layering in iron alloys can explain seismic anomalies in the Earth's inner core. This discovery suggests a compositional gradient with increasing core depth, linking anisotropy to chemical stratification.
Researchers discovered that massive anomalies in the Earth's mantle are connected to the planet's early history and its ability to support life. The study proposes that elements from the core leaked into the mantle, preventing strong chemical layering and creating unusual structures that can be seen today.
A team of geophysicists from ETH Zurich and SUSTech, China, used computer models to simulate whether a completely liquid core could generate a stable magnetic field. Their simulations showed that the Earth's magnetic field was generated in the early history of the Earth in a similar way to today.
Scientists from the University of Göttingen have made a groundbreaking discovery, finding ruthenium in volcanic rocks on the islands of Hawaii. The finding suggests that material from the Earth's core is leaking into the mantle above, challenging previous assumptions about the planet's internal dynamics.
A new study by researchers from the University of Tokyo reveals that helium can bond with iron under extreme conditions, contradicting previous findings. The discovery suggests there could be significant amounts of helium in the Earth's core, potentially rewriting our understanding of the planet's origins.
A new study from USC scientists has found that the near surface of the Earth's inner core may undergo viscous deformation, changing its shape and shifting at the inner core's shallow boundary. This discovery sheds light on the role topographical activity plays in rotational changes in the inner core.
A new simulation method has been introduced to investigate the Earth's core, revealing significant effects of magnetism on material properties. The approach combines molecular dynamics and spin dynamics, using machine learning to determine force fields with high precision.
Researchers discovered a mysterious subduction zone deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, reshaping our understanding of Earth's interior structure. The team found an unusually thick area in the mantle transition zone, suggesting the presence of colder material that slows down oceanic slabs as they sink through the mantle.
Researchers found that as planet mass increases, water tends to integrate with the iron core, leading to a reevaluation of astronomical observation data and planetary habitability. This discovery has significant implications for the study of Super-Earths and the search for life beyond Earth.
A new USC study provides unambiguous evidence that the Earth's inner core began to decrease its speed around 2010, moving slower than the Earth's surface. This change is caused by the churning of the liquid iron outer core, which generates the planet's magnetic field.
A team of researchers from the University of Rochester has uncovered evidence that a weak magnetic field millions of years ago may have fueled the proliferation of life. The study suggests that fluctuations in Earth's ancient magnetic field led to shifts in oxygen levels, enabling more advanced life forms to emerge.
A study led by the University of Texas at Austin found that certain groupings of iron atoms in the Earth's inner core are able to move about rapidly, changing their places in a split second. This collective motion could help explain numerous intriguing properties of the inner core and shed light on its role in powering Earth's geodynamo.
A team of scientists has discovered a more accurate pressure scale using synchrotron studies, leading to a significant increase in the amount of light material in the inner core. The new scale found double the expected amount of lighter material in the inner core and five times that of the Earth's crust.
Scientists have confirmed that Earth's inner core is not a homogenous mass, but rather a textured solid metal sphere. The research, led by Guanning Pang and Keith Koper, used seismic data from naturally occurring earthquakes to study the inner core's structure.
Seismologists from ANU have documented evidence of a distinct layer inside the Earth's inner core, known as the innermost inner core, which is a solid metallic ball. This discovery provides a new way to probe the Earth's inner core and its centremost region.
Scientists discovered that Fe-rich Fe-O alloys can exist in Earth's inner core under extreme pressure and temperature conditions. The study found stable oxygen layers between iron layers, suggesting the presence of oxygen in the solid inner core.
Researchers have discovered that metallic glasses contain liquid-like atoms with dynamics similar to high-temperature liquids. These findings reveal a 'part-solid and part-liquid' nature of metallic glasses, which can affect their elasticity, strength, and ductility.
New paleomagnetic research suggests the solid inner core formed around 550 million years ago and restored Earth's magnetic field. The study provides clues about planetary evolution, habitability, and the potential for life on other planets.
Researchers have discovered changes in the Earth's outer core, which are responsible for generating the magnetic field. According to Zhou's findings, a one-second discrepancy in SKS wave travel time indicates the formation of low-density regions with light elements such as hydrogen and oxygen.
Researchers at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences found evidence of the inner core's six-year cycle of super-rotation and sub-rotation. The study suggests the inner core changed direction in the six-year period from 1969-74, causing variations in the length of day.
Researchers found that Earth's inner core is a mixture of solid iron sublattice and liquid-like light elements, known as superionic state. This discovery provides critical clues for understanding the softness and seismic velocities of the inner core.
New research suggests that ultra-low velocity zones in the deep mantle may be regions made of different rocks than the rest of the mantle, with compositions potentially linked to the early Earth. The study's findings imply the presence of layered structures within these zones, shedding light on their origin and evolution.
Scientists at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory recreated deep-Earth conditions to study iron's atomic structure. They observed 'twinning,' a common pressure response in metals and minerals, which allows iron to be incredibly strong before flowing plastically.
Scientists have discovered a heterogeneous structure in the Earth's inner core, with adjacent regions of hard, soft, and liquid iron alloys. This finding challenges traditional models of the planet's magnetic field generation and provides new insights into the dynamics at the boundary between the inner and outer core.
Researchers at UC Berkeley found that the inner core's asymmetric growth explains a long-standing mystery about iron crystals' orientation. The study suggests the core may be only 500 million years old, contradicting previous estimates and shedding light on Earth's magnetic field history.
The revised estimate of the inner core age is 1-1.3 billion years old, solving a paradox that arose from younger estimates. The researchers also found that the geodynamo was maintained by two different energy sources and mechanisms, providing new insights into the Earth's habitability.
Researchers confirm that the Earth's inner core is rotating, contradicting previous studies suggesting it was stationary. The new evidence comes from analyzing seismic data from repeating earthquakes and precise arrival time analysis.
Quantum mechanical simulations show that the Earth's inner core is not as rigid as thought, with a lower iron viscosity than previously predicted. This suggests that plastic flow of iron might contribute to seismic anisotropy and the inner core's alignment.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University and Princeton University simulated the deep interiors of super-Earths using intense X-ray beams, revealing insight into their crystal structure. The study's findings have significant implications for understanding planetary architecture and may lead to breakthroughs in exoplanet research.
A team of researchers has found that the Earth's iron composition is not linked to its core formation, sparking alternative theories on why our planet has higher levels of heavy iron isotopes. The study suggests light iron isotopes may have been vaporized into space or incorporated into rock through slow mantle churning.
A new study published in Nature indicates that the Earth's inner core was formed between 1 and 1.5 billion years ago, based on magnetic records from ancient igneous rocks. This finding suggests that the solid inner core started to form as it cooled from the surrounding molten iron outer core.
Researchers used the Sandia National Laboratories Z-machine to recreate Earth's formation conditions, finding that iron vaporizes at a lower shock pressure than previously thought. This process could have led to more iron being mixed into the Earth's mantle, potentially affecting the Moon's composition due to its reduced gravity.
Researchers have discovered a distinct inner-inner core with different iron crystal alignment and behavior compared to the outer layer. This finding could reveal information about the planet's formation and evolution
A new model proposes that iron carbide could explain the anomalously slow S waves, thus eliminating the need to invoke partial melting. This would imply that as much as two-thirds of the planet's carbon is hidden in its center sphere.
Scientists propose iron in Earth's core weakens dramatically just before melting, affecting seismic wave speeds. This discovery provides a compelling explanation for observed wave velocities at the Earth's inner core.
Scientists have measured the strength of iron under extreme pressures, simulating conditions at the center of the Earth. The study found that iron in the inner core is weaker than previously thought, with implications for understanding Earth's evolution and geomagnetic field.
A new model suggests that heat flow at the core-mantle boundary varies depending on the structure of the overlying mantle, causing localized melting. This phenomenon is linked to plate tectonics and affects the Earth's magnetic field generation.
New research reveals the Earth's core is rotating at a rate of approximately 1 degree every million years, much slower than previously estimated. This finding provides insight into the evolution of the Earth's magnetic field and has implications for simulations of the outer core's convection.
A Florida State University researcher has challenged the long-held 'late veneer hypothesis' regarding the formation of the Earth. By studying palladium distribution at high pressures and temperatures, Humayun's team found that it can be explained by means other than millions of years of meteorite bombardment.
Researchers have created a three-dimensional model describing the seismic anisotropy and iron crystal texture within Earth's innermost core. The study revealed an inner inner core with a diameter of approximately 1,180 kilometers.
Researchers have found that the Earth's magnetic field was nearly as strong 3.2 billion years ago as it is today, contrary to previous studies. The discovery suggests that the Earth was well protected from the solar wind, which can strip away a planet's atmosphere and bathe its surface in lethal radiation.
Researchers analyzed seismic wave data from 30 earthquakes and found waves passing through the inner core arrived earlier when separated in time, indicating material had moved into the path taken by waves traveling through the inner core. The study's findings suggest a dynamic planet with significant changes over millions of years.
Scientists have long known that Earth's core is primarily composed of iron, but the cause of seismic waves traveling faster in certain directions was unclear. Recent studies using supercomputer simulations revealed a temperature-dependent alignment of crystal structures in the inner core, shedding new light on this phenomenon.
New theory proposes that iron-rich sediments are stuck to the bottom of the mantle, creating drag that throws off the Earth's wobble. Seismic waves slow down as they approach the core-mantle boundary, suggesting a thin layer of silicates may be present.
A three-dimensional computer simulation of the geodynamo was achieved in 1995, revealing how Earth's magnetic field is generated. The model shows that the magnetic field reverses polarity every few hundred thousand years due to nonlinear, chaotic behavior.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have created a model that suggests a thin jet of relatively cold molten iron is streaming down across the liquid outer core from an area in the mid-Pacific to Earth's solid iron inner core. This 'cold front' could account for irregularities in the magnetic patterns observed over the Pacific.
Researchers at University College London have developed a novel approach to determine the melting temperature of iron at high pressures, allowing them to estimate the Earth's core temperature. This breakthrough has significant implications for understanding earthquakes, volcanoes, and the Earth's magnetic field.
Researchers have found that the Earth's inner core consists of two distinct parts: a lower area surrounded by an uneven upper layer with different material properties. This discovery is likely to affect the current model of how the Earth and its magnetic field came into being.
Researchers Xiaodong Song and Don Helmberger found two distinct layers in the inner core: a spherical lower part and an uneven upper layer with different material properties. The findings may affect the formation of the Earth's magnetic field.
Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory used seismic data from 40,000 earthquakes to characterize the Earth's structure from crust to inner core. They found evidence of heterogeneity in the outer core, suggesting a liquid iron-nickel-sulfur compound that could help explain the Earth's magnetic field.
Researchers have found that the Earth's inner core is rotating at a faster rate than its outer layers, with estimates suggesting it rotates four to 12 times slower. The independent rotation is thought to be caused by convection in the molten iron outer core, which produces the Earth's magnetic field.
Researchers developed a model to explain the Earth's inner core rotating faster than the rest of the planet, driven by electromagnetic forces and outer core fluid motions. The model provides insights into the mysterious processes generating the magnetic field deep within the Earth's core.
Researchers from UC Berkeley have disproved the hypothesis that the Earth's inner core is a perfectly aligned mass of iron crystals. Instead, they found that the crystals align themselves like boats in a circular eddy, driven by the rise of hotter iron toward the surface. This finding has implications for modeling the Earth's magnetic ...
Researchers at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory found that the Earth's inner core is rotating faster than the planet, completing its once-a-day rotation about two-thirds of a second faster than the entire Earth. The discovery was made by measuring changes in seismic wave speeds through the inner core.