New Study: Earth's Inner Core Slowing Down, Potentially Leading to Longer Days

Los Angeles, California, California United States of America
Inner core, located over 4800km beneath feet, is a super-hot, super-dense sphere of iron and nickel causing magnetic field.
Potential impact on Earth's rotation, prolonging days.
Seismograms of repeating earthquakes around South Sandwich Islands evidence inner core backtracking.
Slowing caused by turbulent movement of liquid outer core and gravitational pulls from dense regions in mantle.
University of Southern California researchers confirm Earth's inner core is rotating more slowly than surface since around 2010.
New Study: Earth's Inner Core Slowing Down, Potentially Leading to Longer Days

In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the University of Southern California have confirmed that the Earth's inner core is rotating more slowly than the planet's surface. This shift could potentially impact the planet's rotation, leading to longer days. The inner core, a super-hot, super-dense sphere of iron and nickel located over 4,800km beneath our feet, had slowed down for the first time in approximately 40 years around 2010. This slowing is caused by the turbulent movement of the surrounding liquid outer core, which generates the Earth's magnetic field, and the gravitational pulls from dense regions in the overlying rocky mantle. The inner core's backtracking has been evidenced by seismograms of repeating earthquakes recorded between 1991 and 2023 around the South Sandwich Islands. This could eventually alter the entire planet's rotation, prolonging our days. The team now wants to chart the trajectory of the inner core in even greater detail to reveal exactly why it is shifting.


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Confidence

91%

Doubts
  • Are there any other potential explanations for the seismic data observed around the South Sandwich Islands?
  • Is there enough evidence to definitively conclude that the inner core's slowing has caused, or will cause, a noticeable change in Earth's rotation?

Sources

94%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Inner core backtracking by seismic waveform change reversals

Nature Magazine Wang, Ruoyan Thursday, 20 June 2024 13:03
  • Unique Points
    • Inner core (IC) has been changing over decades as evidenced by seismograms of repeating earthquakes.
    • Motion in the past decade may have slowed down.
    • A reversal of motion inferred from backscattered seismic waves was consistent with the amplitude and phase predicted from the SYO pattern of LOD oscillation.
  • Accuracy
    • The inner core has been changing over decades as evidenced by seismograms of repeating earthquakes.
    • Dominant interpretation of IC super-rotation rate is about 0.05-0.15 degrees per year.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The author makes several assertions in the article, some of which contain logical fallacies. However, the majority of the text is a summary of research findings and does not contain any clear fallacies from the author. I did find one instance of an appeal to authority when the author states 'A reversal of motion inferred from backscattered seismic waves was consistent with the amplitude and phase predicted from the SYO pattern of LOD oscillation19,23.' This implies that because an observation aligns with a prediction, it must be true. However, this is not a definitive proof and other explanations could also be valid. The score is 95 as there are only a few instances of potential fallacies.
    • A reversal of motion inferred from backscattered seismic waves was consistent with the amplitude and phase predicted from the SYO pattern of LOD oscillation19,23.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

80%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

The Earth’s core is slowing down

El Pais English Edition Nuño Domínguez Wednesday, 19 June 2024 11:41
  • Unique Points
    • The Earth's inner core is slowing down and is now slower than the Earth’s surface.
    • This change was first observed around 2010.
    • The inner core had previously rotated faster than the mantle, but began to rotate slower in the 2010s.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (0%)
    The article is highly deceptive in its omission of certain details and the way it presents information. It implies that the Earth's core slowing down is a new discovery when in fact, it has been known for decades. The author also fails to mention that the core's rotation speed has varied throughout Earth's history and is not an unusual occurrence. Furthermore, there is a lack of context about how the inner core's movement affects daily life, making it seem more significant than it actually is. Lastly, the author sensationalizes the story by using phrases like 'the Earth's core is slowing down' and 'backtracking', which can mislead readers into thinking that this is a catastrophic event.
    • A study has just confirmed that the Earth’s inner core is backtracking — slowing down — in relation to the planet’s surface, according to new research published in the journal Nature.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Study Confirms Rotation Of Earth's Inner Core Is Slowing Down, It Began Decreasing In...

NDTV News Sunday, 16 June 2024 05:43
  • Unique Points
    • The Earth's inner core is rotating more slowly than the planet's surface.
    • The inner core began to decrease its speed around 2010.
  • Accuracy
    • The inner core is now slower than the Earth's surface.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

92%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Scientists predict Earth's days are going to get longer and longer

Indy100 Ellie Abraham Tuesday, 18 June 2024 16:52
  • Unique Points
    • Earth's days are getting longer and longer over time
    • Approximately 1.7 milliseconds is added to Earth’s rotation every century
    • Polar ice caps melting contributes to Earth’s slowing rotation
  • Accuracy
    • It could take around 200 million years to add one hour to Earth’s 24-hour rotation
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication