The Earth's Core Changes Direction

But Does it Matter? THIS ARTICLE caught the attention of a correspondent who forwarded the link to me (Thank You!). It concerns the flow of the molten iron which forms the outer core of the Earth. The outer core starts at a depth of 2,890km and is 2,260km thick. It is thought to be 80 to 85% iron, about 5% nickel and the rest is a mix of lighter elements like sulphur, oxygen, silicon and carbon.

It is the outer core which generates the Earth's magnetic field and this keeps cosmic radiation out. This is a good thing! And it is the study of the magnetic field which tells us the direction the core is moving. For a long time it was thought that a gentle western drift of 10 to 40 km per year (1mm per second) was normal. 

But in 2010, the bit under the Pacific, started moving eastwards. This continues but has slowed since 2020. What caused this is unknown and the change was unexpected. Perhaps there is more happening in the core than we know about!

Does it matter? Probably not - the Earth's magnetic field is still doing its job and shows no sign of turning off. 

The academic paper on which the article is based will be found HERE