Earth’s Inner Core Falling Behind Planet’s Rotation

Earth’s inner core appears to be slowing down relative the speed of our planet’s rotation on its axis. Find out how this affects our magnetic field and shortens the length of a day on our world.

Living as a travelling consultant for a couple of decades had both advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages was the opportunity to take in local attractions wherever I found myself.

Whenever I found myself in Edmonton, Alberta, I’d stop by the TELUS World of Science. It houses the Zeidler Zone, one of North America’s best planetariums, as well as a state-of-the-art IMAX theatre.

One memorable IMAX film I saw there was Ring of Fire. It explained the fascinating geology of the region around the Pacific Rim where plate tectonics cause about 75% of Earth’s active volcanoes and over 90% of our planet’s earthquakes.

Eath’s Inner Core Can Rotate at Different Speeds

Professor Xiaodong Song has been studying the Ring of Fire and Earth’s inner core for over thirty years. Working at Columbia University back in 1996, he co-authored a study suggesting that Earth’s inner core can rotate at different speeds…