Posted on 09/11/2005 1:45:14 PM PDT by Coleus
The giant iron ball at the center of the Earth appears to be spinning a bit faster than the rest of the planet.
The solid 1,500-mile-wide inner core, which is surrounded by fluid, rotates about one-quarter to one-half degree more than the rest of the world every year, scientists from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report in today's issue of the journal Science.
The spin of the Earth's core is an important part of the engine that creates the planet's magnetic field, and researcher Xiaodong Song said he believes magnetic interaction is responsible for the different rates of spin.
The faster spin of the core was proposed in 1996 by two of the current study's authors, Paul Richards of Lamont-Doherty and Song, now an associate professor at Illinois.
The researchers studied the travel times of earthquake waves through the Earth, analyzing what are called couplets. Those are earthquakes that originate within a half-mile or so of one another but at different times.
Analyzing 30 quakes occurring in the South Atlantic and measured at 58 seismic stations in Alaska, the researchers found differences in the travel times and shape of the waves, indicating differences in the core as the waves passed through the center of the Earth.
Analyzing those differences, they calculated that the core is spinning slightly faster than the rest of the planet and is a bit lumpy.
At the faster rate, a point on the core's surface would complete an extra lap in less than 1,500 years. However, Song said in a telephone interview he thinks the rotation rate varies over long periods of time, with the core sometimes spinning slower than the rest of the planet.
"What we see right now is a snapshot of a longtime process between the
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Bush's fault.
Makes sense. If it slows down will it be because Bush didn't sign Kyoto?
Stop, stop the world I said
stop, stop, stop the world
because I want to get off
want to get off
want to get off
it's making me earthsick
What does God need with a patent anyway.
Not that unusual.I presume the Earths rotation begins at its core and since that is surrounded by fluid there is bound to be a loss of efficiency as it transmits the rotation up to the solid mantel.
The torque converter in an automatic transmission has the same thing happening as does any fluid coupling.The energy that is not transfered directly to what it is driving is lost in the form of heat.
The rotation continues because of inertia
But tidal braking from the moon slows it dowm. This is greatest at the surface. So the crust slows and that slowing is transmited through the mantle to the core.
So the core isn't spining faster, the surface is spinning slower.
A science topic ping for FairO', with a couple of related topics for Coleus.
Scientific maverick's theory on Earth's core up for a test
SF Chronicle | Monday, November 29, 2004 | Keay Davidson
Posted on 12/05/2004 11:17:28 AM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1294934/posts
New evidence for the Moon's soft middle
New Scientist | 14 February 2002 | Will Knight
Posted on 12/27/2004 2:29:35 PM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1309193/posts
Disaster compared to scene from Bible
(Planet rotation said affected by 9.0 quake)
WorldNetDaily | December 26, 2004
Posted on 12/27/2004 6:08:33 AM PST by NYer
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308957/posts
Quake May Have Altered Earth's Rotation
Drudge Report | 12/27/04 | Matt Drudge
Posted on 12/27/2004 6:48:27 PM PST by wagglebee
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1309306/posts
Scientist say that recent earthquake is big enough to effect earth's rotation.
Posted on 12/27/2004 7:00:43 PM PST by alienken
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1309315/posts
Leap second to be added to 2005
(Earth's rotation spins out of accord with atomic clock)
Nature | 6 July 2005 | Roxanne Khamsi
Posted on 07/09/2005 8:25:56 PM PDT by DaveLoneRanger
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1439962/posts
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The center is outspinning the surface?
That is exactly how I feel after I eat at Taco Bell.
Earth's magnetic poles on verge of flipping
World Net Daily | December 12, 2003
Posted on 12/13/2003 8:38:30 PM PST by gitmo
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1039977/posts
Sun's rays to roast Earth as poles flip
The Observer (U.K.) | 11/10/2002 | Robin McKie
Posted on 11/09/2002 5:59:37 PM PST by Pokey78
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/786012/posts
A really big motor???
Nope, Artemis guessed right -- it's a giant Gordita.
Uh huh, should maybe tell us a little more about volcanoes.
Interesting 'theory' but still just a theory.
Nah, I'm stickin' with the Gordita.
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