The core of the earth grows tilted. Growth is faster under the Banda Sea, Maluku, Indonesia.
This conclusion emerged from the results of research by seismologists at the University of California, United States of America, about the asymmetrical growth of the center of the earth some time ago. The researchers studied it through seismic waves traveling through the earth.
The core of the earth is located about 3 thousand kilometers below the earth’s surface. To be precise, it is within the outer core of the earth’s fluid. The size is approximately three-quarters of the moon. The shape of the core is like a ball containing iron and nickel.
Nah, the inner core of the earth is always growing. Its radius increases by a millimeter every year. As the molten iron pieces in the outer core cool and harden, they turn into iron crystals.
Why Does the Earth’s Core Grow Tilt?
A study published in Nature Geoscience shows the Earth’s core in Indonesia is losing heat more quickly. This is in contrast to the opposite side, namely under Brazil.
The Earth’s core grows tilted because one side is growing faster than the other. In the eastern part of the core, which lies beneath Indonesia, 60% more iron crystals are formed than on the other side.
“The west side looks different from the east side to the middle,” said University of California seismologist Daniel Frost, quoted from Insider, Saturday (12/6).
Frost studied it through seismic waves. These waves come from underground vibrations generated from the earthquake.
What are the effects of a tilted Earth’s core?
This slanted growth can affect the earth’s magnetic field. But the researchers are confident there won’t be any defects or other risks to put it off balance.
The Earth’s core plays a key role in protecting the planet from wind and harmful solar radiation. The rotating iron in the outer core produces a magnetic field that stretches around the earth.
Interestingly, scientists found the Earth’s inner core may be only 500 million years old. While the earth has existed since 4.5 billion years ago.
This raises a big question. How does the earth form a magnetic field without a solid inner center?
This magnetic field is the field geomagnetic that reaches the interior of the earth to meet the sun’s radiation. In simple terms, Earth’s magnetic field reflects most of the solar wind. This wind is a flow of particles from the sun that are able to break down in the earth’s atmosphere.
The direction or compass used by humans depends on the earth’s magnetic field. Animals also use the earth’s magnetic field to migrate.
“We know magnetic fields existed three billion years ago, so other processes must have driven convection in the Earth’s outer core,” said Professor Barbara Romanowicz of the University of California. Insider.
At present, the heat release from the inner core plays a major role in generating the magnetic field. The vortex of the magnetic field occurs because the hotter and lighter material from the outer core rises to the Earth’s mantle above it.
There, the eddies swap places with cooler, denser mantle material, which sinks to the core below. This is referred to as convection.
Convection also occurs between the inner and outer nuclei. So if the outer and inner cores cool at different rates, it can affect how much heat is exchanged at the boundary.
It may also have an impact on the engine speed that powers the earth shield. Frost said his party would soon conduct research again to discuss this further.
Material contributor: Alfida Febrianna (internship)
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