Scientists Confirm a Fifth Layer Inside the Earth's Core
upstart writes:
The Morning After: Scientists confirm a fifth layer inside the Earth's core:
Bouncing Seismic Waves Reveal Secrets of the Planet's Inner Core[...] A team at Australian National University (ANU) has found evidence of a new" fifth layer to the planet, an iron-nickel alloy ball in the inner core. The scientists found the hidden core by studying seismic waves that travel up to five times across the Earth's diameter - previous studies only looked at single bounces. The earthquake waves probed places near the center at angles that suggested a different crystalline structure deep inside.
The ANU researchers also believe the innermost inner core hints at a major event in Earth's past that had a "significant" impact on the planet's heart. As researchers told The Washington Post, it could also help explain the formation of the Earth's magnetic field. The field plays a major role in supporting life as it shields the Earth from harmful radiation and keeps water from drifting into space.
upstart writes:
Data captured from seismic waves caused by earthquakes has shed new light on the deepest parts of Earth's inner core, according to seismologists from The Australian National University (ANU).
By measuring the different speeds at which these waves penetrate and pass through the Earth's inner core, the researchers believe they've documented evidence of a distinct layer inside Earth known as the innermost inner core - a solid "metallic ball" that sits within the center of the inner core.
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