Earth’s Core Has Slowed Down So Much, We May Have Longer Days

Recently, a discovery has been made by scientists stating that the earth’s core has been spinning slower than usual. This means that it can make days last longer than they do now.

The Earth’s Core

Inside the earth, there is a ball that is constantly spinning at the same speed all the time. It spins independently to the earth. This is the earth’s core, and for many years since it was discovered, it has intrigued many scientists. However, new research shows that the spinning speed has changed dramatically.

Unfortunately, calculating the earth’s core movement is a difficult process, since it is impossible to actually measure it by going to it. This is instead calculated by seeing different wave lengths that happen during certain earthquakes.

The Big Spinning Problem

For years scientists believed the the core would spin faster than the actual earth. Eventually, research showed it began matching earth’s spinning speed but gradually getting slower and slower. This may cause the earth to have longer days. Thankfully, scientists believe the change would be very minimal for anyone to truly notice. The change would only add a thousandth of a second.

However, even though this change might be insignificant, scientists believe that every 100 years 1.7 milliseconds are added to a day. However, they are unsure as to what exactly it is that is causing the day length increase. Some studies have shown however, that change will eventually make a day have 25 hours. Thankfully, that is going to take a whole lot of time, since it would take 3.3 million years to increase the day by a single minute.

Written by Erika Cano

Sources:

The Sun: Earth’s inner core has ‘backtracked’ and is rotating more slowly – experts warn it could change length of our days

Sash Dot: Earth’s Core Has Slowed So Much It’s Moving Backward, Scientists Confirm

Smithsonian Magazine: Earth’s Inner Core May Be Slowing Its Spin, Another Study Suggests

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Erika Cano – AI Generated Image

Inset Image Courtesy of Erika Cano – AI Generated Image