Study: Earth's Core May Have Stopped Spinning, Reversed Direction

Facts

• The Earth's inner core may have stopped rotating and even reversed its direction of spin in recent years, according to a study published on Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience. The reason for the reversal is unknown.
• The study found that the slowing or near stoppage occurred as recently as 2009. Similar events were also found to have occurred in the 1970s and were predicted to occur again in the 2040s, with the authors noting that the core changes direction about every 35 years.
• The Earth's inner core, which is solid iron but floats inside of a fluid outer core, plays a significant role in the average length of the day on our planet and is responsible for the fluctuations in the planet's magnetic field.
• Scientists also believe that the Earth's core is linked to the planet's climate system through temperature and sea levels.
• The data was gathered by observing seismic waves traveling through the Earth's inner core, then analyzing the wavelengths and travel times of those earthquakes. The results showed that there has been "little change" since the 1960s, indicating a pause or significant slowing of spin.
• Hrvoje Tkalcic, a geophysicist who did not work on the study but has authored a book on the topic, affirmed co-authors Xiaodong Song and Yi Yang's data and analysis, but added that it "should be taken cautiously" as more research needs to be completed.

Sources: Business Insider, CBS, Daily Caller, One America, Independent, and CNN.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Scientific American. Though there is still much debate to be had on the topic, Song and Yang's research is very valuable. While some believe that the changes in core rotation and direction are happening even more frequently, we know for certain that data on seismic monitoring has yielded much better results than in previous years. The more scientists learn, the more exciting the field gets.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Washington Post. Song and Yang's research is flawed, and includes misinterpretations of how to measure and view seismic signals. Their results provide an inconsistent explanation of what we know to be true. More data needs to be collected to reach a consistent and scientifically agreed upon conclusion surrounding exactly which parts of the core are rotating and why changes in that rotation occur.

Predictions