Earth's Inner Core Rotation Slows, Raising Scientific Questions

New research reveals the Earth's inner core has been spinning slower since 2010, potentially affecting the length of a day by fractions of a second.

USC scientists confirmed the inner core's slowdown using seismic data from earthquakes and nuclear tests.
The inner core, a solid iron-nickel sphere, is now moving slower than the Earth's surface for the first time in decades.
Researchers suggest the slowdown may be linked to dynamics in the liquid outer core and gravitational forces from the mantle.
The implications for Earth's surface are minimal, possibly altering the length of a day by thousandths of a second.
Future studies aim to further understand the inner core's behavior and its impact on Earth's dynamics.