Researchers from China’s Wuhan University in a publication in Nature Communications said that they have made an unexpected discovery about how the heart of our planet functions. According to experts, every 8.5 years the inner core of the Earth oscillates around its own axis of rotation. Presumably, what is happening is caused by a tiny mismatch between the inner core and the crust.
Newly discovered oscillation of the inner core in the long term may cause a change in the shape and motion of the liquid core, which, in turn, may provoke subsequent changes in the magnetic field of the planet, the authors of the work indicated.
In the course of their research, experts first identified a slight deviation in the polar movement, occurring every 8.5 years and indicating the possible presence of oscillations of the inner core, which have a direct resemblance to the way it does the usual wave. Scientists subsequently verified the presence of this cycle by measuring shifts in day length around the world. The researchers specified that these processes are under the control of the periodic movement of the axis of rotation of our planet. These indicators were compared with the variations of the previously detected polar motion.
