The Earth's Inner Core Has An Inner Core

A research team at the University of Illinois (UI) has just used the rumbles from quakes to more closely examine the core of our planet, and what they found there was quite a surprise. It seems our Earth's core has another core that measures about half the diameter of the original core.

What demarcates this "inner-inner core" is that the iron crystals it contains are oriented on an east-west axis, unlike the iron crystals in the "outer-inner core" which organize along a north-south axis.

Scientists find oddly behaving 'inner-inner core' at Earth's center

How cool is that earth is a huge babushka doll , so the core of earth, close to the size of the moon, have a core itself where the iron dipoles are not aligned with earth magnetic field.

"People have noticed differences in the way seismic waves travel through the outer parts of the inner core and its innermost reaches before, but never before have they suggested that the alignment of crystalline iron that makes up this region is completely askew compared to the outermost parts," said Prof. Simon Redfern from the University of Cambridge.

"If this is true, it would imply that something very substantial happened to flip the orientation of the core to turn the alignment of crystals in the inner core north-south as is seen today in its outer parts,"

So the earth is not going to end or anything, just we now know more about our planet and i wanted to give you this little piece of information.

a reply to: Indigent
yes this is fascinating we learn more every day about our planet but i do wonder what effects this is having on the earth

what does it tell the scientists, say about gravity or polar shifts and even the earth rumblings that have been reported .

i would love to hear what our more knowledgeable members have to say about this .

a reply to: Indigent

... Can you explain to me the practical application of this?

I get it's cool and stuff...

a reply to: PsychoEmperor

... Can you explain to me the practical application of this?

Scientist analyzed in a different way quake data and found out the solid ball we think the core was is actually 2 balls, not really practicals applications or anything, its like going from standard definition to HD and seeing all the wrinkles in actors, nothing new is going on, just better technology allow us to see more.

So it looks like God is a golfer! He sure knows how to build a planet.

originally posted by: Indigent
a reply to: PsychoEmperor

... Can you explain to me the practical application of this?

Scientist analyzed in a different way quake data and found out the solid ball we think the core was is actually 2 balls, not really practicals applications or anything, its like going from standard definition to HD and seeing all the wrinkles in actors, nothing new is going on, just better technology allow us to see more.

Thank you! I was hoping there was something like "It proves a magnetic shift will happen because something something iron crystals" or... "Ah ha! This proves Aliens" or well anything really. Still cool anyway... I wonder what they will find out as to why the Iron Crystals are going in different directions, maybe it'll be cause of Aliens

a reply to: PsychoEmperor

Well it means one thing. The gods of science who parade around like they're all-knowing don't even know everything about our own planet. I certainly trust them when they hurl doctrines written in stone from their ivory towers...

a reply to: PsychoEmperor

I know right everything sounds better when it has an alien conspiracy with impending doom porn coming from the very core of the hollow earth

a reply to: Indigent

Where do all the people from center Earth live? I think you may have made a mistake.

Is it just me?

That kind of reminds me of a gyroscope the way the out core and inner core are facing n/s e/w.

It actually makes sense as things naturally form that way in nature. The electromagnetic field created by the first density creates a secondary field which fills in with different material.

Yep exactly what went through my mind too....
Perhaps this opposite alignment has other purposes not yet understood....
Magnetic fields produce electricity....
Maybe even some influence upon gravity?
Or a stabilising effect on the mantle?
IDK, but there are ramifications here...

originally posted by: stirling
Yep exactly what went through my mind too....
Perhaps this opposite alignment has other purposes not yet understood....
Magnetic fields produce electricity....
Maybe even some influence upon gravity?
Or a stabilising effect on the mantle?
IDK, but there are ramifications here...

I was just glad to hear Earth's core had a pair.

There are also reports that the inner core could be melting and is possibly linked to plate tectonics.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

www.livescience.com...

The inner core of the Earth may be melting, scientists now find.

This melting could actually be linked to activity at the Earth's surface, the researchers said, and added that the discovery could help explain how the core generates the planet's magnetic field.

As the Earth cools from the inside out, the molten outer core is slowly freezing. This is leading the solid inner core to grow at a rate of approximately 1 millimeter per year. However, scientists now find that the inner core might be melting at the same time. "The standard view has been that the inner core is freezing all over and growing out progressively, but it appears that there are regions where the core is actually melting," said researcher Sebastian Rost, a seismologist at the University of Leeds in England. "The net flow of heat from core to mantle ensures that there's still overall freezing of outer core material and it's still growing over time, but by no means is this a uniform process." As the Earth's interior cools, relatively hot and cold matter churns around inside the planet, a process known as convection. The roiling of material in the core, coupled with the spinning of the Earth, is what generates the planet's magnetic field.

For instance, when it comes to large regions under Africa and the Pacific where the lowermost mantle is hotter than average, the outer core below those areas can become hot enough to start melting the inner core. On the other hand, beneath seismically active regions around the so-called "Ring of Fire"— a zone encircling the Pacific high in volcanic and earthquake activity — the cold remnants of oceanic plates sucked to the bottom of the mantle are drawing a lot of heat from the core, helping it freeze.

These findings suggest "that the whole dynamics of the Earth's core are in some way linked to plate tectonics, which isn't at all obvious from surface observations," Mound said.

This model could also explain seismic anomalies past research detected that have suggested there is a dense layer of liquid surrounding the inner core. "The localized melting theory could also explain other seismic observations — for example, why seismic waves from earthquakes travel faster through some parts of the core than others," Rost said.

"The origins of Earth's magnetic field remain a mystery to scientists," Mound noted. "If our model is verified, it's a big step towards understanding how the inner core formed, which in turn helps us understand how the core generates the Earth's magnetic field."

a reply to: Indigent

Made me wonder how they know whats inside the earth.. Nukes, apparently.

Earthquakes (and nuclear tests) cause seismic waves that travel through the Earth's interior, but these waves travel at different speeds depending on what kind of material they are traveling through. By having listening posts scattered around the planet, we can deduce what layers the Earth's interior to possess based on how long it takes for these waves to reach the listening post from the earthquake that produced them. We then can match the speed of these seismic waves with materials we are familiar with and identify what the Earth's interior is made of - at least in theory.

Just another theory.

You mean earth is like one of those giant jaw breakers? I hope no one microwaves it anytime soon. If they do, it might explode under pressure.

originally posted by: Darkblade71
Is it just me?

That kind of reminds me of a gyroscope the way the out core and inner core are facing n/s e/w.

YES! I was trying to think of a way to explain the concept forming in my mind about this. And there is is. I think it has a relationship to Earth's rotation. Whether the Earth's rotation creates an offset in iron crystal orientation between outer core & inner core, or the offset iron crystal orientation drives Earth's rotation... I can't decide. But I feel in MY core that there is something causal.

One wonders then looking at the gyroscope, what the full implication of a magnetic pole reversal would be. Would all the subsequent layers also shift? Would this lead to interesting effects on tectonics?

originally posted by: Darkblade71
That kind of reminds me of a gyroscope the way the out core and inner core are facing n/s e/w.

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
Job 26:7

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

thats a lot of information i think i will have to read this several times before it all sinks in , thank you its a good post .

but one question , there is a theory that the earth is expanding do you have any thoughts on that and could there be any connection to what has been discovered ?