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“The inner core doesn’t come to a full stop,” he said. The study’s finding, he said, “means that the inner core is now more in sync with the rest of the planet
by lisper 4y ago
“The inner core doesn’t come to a full stop,” he said. The study’s finding, he said, “means that the inner core is now more in sync with the rest of the planet than a decade ago when it was spinning a bit faster.”
“Nothing cataclysmic is happening,” he added.
Just in case you were concerned.
- giantg2 4y agoI wonder if the inner core going in reverse would flip the poles due to its interaction with the outer core. Still not cataclysmic, but potentially problematic for a while. I also wonder if we'll find out in my lifetime.
- zzzeek 4y agothe earth's magnetic poles have already flipped at least 10 times in the past few million years. I recall reading that there could be a long period of increased solar radiation affecting life and causing a lot more cancer during the period that the actual reversal takes place but it's all theoretical.
- giantg2 4y agoI doubt there would be that much extra cancer. The estimates I saw were merely a 25% reduction in field strength. The predictions I saw were more concerned about technology failures. A slight increase in solar radiation seems like small potatoes compared to all the other potential carcinogens we live with, but it does seem like it could be significant for our electronics.
- soco 4y agoI don't understand from the article what "rotating in reverse" would mean. Referring to the crust? If it rotates around the axis just slower than the crust then it would look from here like going on reverse. Or they mean really rotating in reverse in reference to the axis? To some normalized axis assumed stable somehow?
- giantg2 4y agoThey aren't clear, but I assume they mean the inner core would be rotating slower than the outer core and crust. In either case, the rotation would be the opposite of what it had been in relation to the outer core and crust. My understanding is that the magnetic field is a product of the interaction between the inner and outer core. I have no idea how this change would affect the field though. Just a guess.
- sliken 4y agoApparently there's evidence for increases and decreases in speed of propagation. The difference is really small, on the order of 0.1 degrees per year, which is something like 7 miles at the surface and much less at the core. Some models claims it goes from 0.1 degree faster to slower, every 35 years or so.
- pjmlp 4y agoAs if in a cataclysmic situation there would be anything we could do about it.
- mtreis86 4y agoNuke it?
- tappaseater 4y agoA little more cheepnis, please.
- herodoturtle 4y agoCue Aerosmith Ben Affleck romance montage.
- maximus-decimus 4y agoThe movie The Core begs to differ.