Scientists have discovered that liquid metal in the Earth's outer core has shifted its movement eastward, revealing unknown mechanisms of the planet's magnetic field, according to infohub.kz.
The findings, from an international team led by Frederik Dahl Madsen of the University of Edinburgh, were published in the Journal of Studies of Earth's Deep Interior. Astrophysicists and geophysicists used satellite data from ESA's Swarm and CryoSat missions, as well as Germany's CHAMP and Denmark's Ørsted satellites.
The researchers found that in 2010, a large flow of liquid iron in the outer core beneath the equatorial Pacific Ocean changed its weak westward direction to a powerful eastward movement. For a long time, it was believed that circulation in the outer core at a depth of about 2,200 kilometers remained relatively stable.
Satellite data showed that by 2020, the eastward flow began to gradually weaken. This may indicate a cyclical process. According to Swarm mission manager Anja Strømme and researcher Elisabetta Iorfida, further observations will help understand how Earth's deep layers are interconnected.