Seismic observations reveal that the Earth’s inner core oscillates with a period of approximately seven decades. The multidecadal periodicity coincides with that of several other geophysical observations, particularly the variations in the length of day and the Earth’s magnetic field, suggesting dynamic interactions between the major layers of the Earth.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 per month
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Get just this article for as long as you need it
$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Change history
30 January 2023
Text in the opening and “The observation” sections has been updated to more precisely describe changes in inner-core rotation as occurring relative to the Earth’s mantle.
References
Song, X. D. & Richards, P. G. Seismological evidence for differential rotation of the Earth’s inner core. Nature 382, 221–224 (1996). This paper provides the first seismic evidence for the differential rotation of the Earth’s inner core.
Zhang, J. et al. Inner core differential motion confirmed by earthquake waveform doublets. Science 309, 1357–1360 (2005). This paper confirmed inner-core rotation using evidence from repeating earthquakes.
Wang, W. & Vidale, J. E. Seismological observation of Earth’s oscillating inner core. Sci. Adv. 8, eabm9916 (2022). This paper reports a reversal of the inner-core rotation during 1969–1974.
Roberts, P. H., Yu, Z. J. & Russell, C. T. On the 60-year signal from the core. Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn. 101, 11–35 (2007). This paper confirms the multidecadal variation in the LOD and the Earth’s magnetic field as well as their correlation.
Ding, H., Jin, T., Li, J. & Jiang, W. The contribution of a newly unraveled 64 years common oscillation on the estimate of present-day global mean sea level rise. J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth 126, e2021JB022147 (2021). This paper reports a 64-year oscillation in global sea level change.
Dong, S.-W., Zhu, R.-X., Wang, C.-S. & Gao, R. New action of deep exploration in China: SinoProbe-II. In American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting abstr. T11A-01 (AGU, 2018). This conference abstract reports a new initiative on deep Earth exploration in China.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This is a summary of: Yang, Y. et al. Multidecadal variation of the Earth’s inner-core rotation. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01112-z (2023).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Differential rotation of the Earth’s inner core changes over decades and has come to near-halt. Nat. Geosci. 16, 113–114 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01113-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01113-y
