Since one is small, one studies that the earth is made up of different layers: the crust, the mantle, the outer core and the inner core (from the outside in). The deeper the layer, the more unknown it is because of its inaccessibility, but new research has shown that there could be an even more inner core.
What is currently known of the lower layers of the crust is thanks to volcanic activity. But also earthquakes have provided information of great relevance. However, beyond that, it could be said that the planet that humans live on is still a mystery.
From these indirect observations, scientists have been able to deduce that Earth’s inner core reaches temperatures of 5,000 degrees, and which also represents only 1% of the total volume of the planet. Geophysicist Joanne Stephenson, with the collaboration of her colleagues, has found signs that Earth’s inner core could be divided into two.
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The team has used a search algorithm that combines models of the inner core with data observed over many decades about the time it takes for seismic waves to travel through the Earthas collected ScienceAlert. These data have been compiled over time by the International Seismological Center.
“We found a evidence that could indicate a change in the structure of iron“, Stepherson said after noting a change in the direction of one of the waves. “That suggests two possible separate cooling events in Earth’s history.”
Although the discovery does not solve anything, rather it is a hypothesis, it adds one more unknown to what was already known about the inner core of the planet. This new finding could explain why some experimental tests have been inconsistent with the current models of the terrestrial structure.
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This is not the first time that the possibility of a fifth layer has been put on the table. Other scientists have shared their suspicions about the variation of the structure of the iron present in the inner core from the earth. According to their investigations, the iron crystals of the new layer would be pointing to the west, while those of the known inner core would point to the south.
And not only is there variation in how these crystals are aligned, but they also seem to behave differently, which means that these layers could be made up of different crystals.
Despite how difficult it is to obtain accurate answers about this, due to the limitation that investigate the Earth’s core, the study’s conclusions seem to be in line with other investigations that follow the same line. Now it only remains to wait for other future studies to fill in the gaps that still lack answers.
