Using a giant cell, scientists discover the Earth's interior

Weather of Arabia - In Jules Verne's classic novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth," published in 1864, adventurers are depicted descending through an Icelandic volcano into a vast subterranean world, where they discover prehistoric creatures, and deal with a fictional experience, but the actual reality of the inner structure To Earth shows that there are some more complex and exciting aspects.

Researchers announced on Tuesday that an extensive study of the Earth's interior depth, based on the behavior of seismic waves resulting from large earthquakes, has confirmed the presence of a unique structure within the planet's inner core. This inner core is a very hot solid ball made of iron and nickel, located about 800 km away. A mile below the Earth's surface and with a diameter of 1,350 km.

It is reported that the Earth has a diameter of about 7,900 miles (12,750 km), and consists of multiple internal structures that include the outer rocky crust, the rocky mantle, the outer core composed of molten materials, and the solid inner core. This metallic inner core was discovered, which is about 1,500 miles wide. (2440 km), in the 1930s, based on analysis of seismic waves traveling through the Earth's interior.

Discovering the inner core of the Earth...a journey deep into the planet

In 2002 , scientists made a surprising suggestion about the Earth's inner core. They suggested that this inner core could be described as consisting of a deep section characterized by an independent layer resembling a Russian Matryoshka doll . Thanks to continuing advances in seismic monitoring, this suggestion has been confirmed.

Earthquakes release seismic waves that travel across the planet, and these waves reveal the features of the Earth's internal structure based on changes in the course of those waves. Until now, scientists have been able to monitor these waves, when they bounce and cross the Earth twice, from one side to the other, and then return. Again, in this context, the researchers extensively studied waves arising from more than 200 earthquakes with a magnitude exceeding 6.0 on the Richter scale, and these waves were represented by their movement inside the Earth in a manner similar to ping-pong balls reverberating repeatedly within the planet.

Thanh Son Pham, a seismologist at the Australian National University in Canberra and the lead researcher on this study published in the journal Nature Communications, said:

“By analyzing digital ground motion records, known as seismograms, for areas of large earthquakes over the past decade, we were able to study this phenomenon. This achievement was achieved thanks to the massive expansion of seismic networks at the national and global levels, especially with the presence of dense networks in areas adjacent to the United States.” United States, the Alaska Peninsula, and the highest European Alps.

It is worth noting that the outer shell of the inner core and its newly confirmed inner sphere have temperatures high enough to cause fusion, but in reality they consist of a solid alloy consisting of iron and nickel as a result of the enormous pressure at the center of the Earth, which puts them in a state of solidity that protects the inner structure of the planet and as Hrvoje Tkalić, a geophysicist at the Australian National University and a co-author of the study, said:

“Actually, it is a solid sphere about the size of Pluto and slightly smaller than the Moon.”

If we somehow succeed in dismantling the Earth into its inner elements by removing its crust and liquid outer layer, the inner core will appear as a bright object like a star. According to Tkalich, its temperature is estimated to be about 5,500-6,000 degrees Celsius (9,930-10,830 degrees Fahrenheit). This is similar to the temperature of... surface of the sun.

Fam pointed out that the transition from the outer part of the inner core to the depths occurs gradually, and not sharply, and the researchers succeeded in distinguishing between the two. Due to the different behavior of seismic waves, he added:

“This may be due to different arrangements of iron atoms under conditions of high temperatures and pressures, or a preferred organization of the growing crystals.”

The size of the inner core slowly increases at the expense of the outer core as a result of the solidification of molten material as the Earth gradually cools, as has happened since the formation of the Earth about 4.5 billion years ago. Pham concluded by saying:

“The latent heat emanating from the solidification of the Earth's inner core drives heat convection in the liquid outer core, which contributes to the creation of the geomagnetic field. Thanks to this magnetic field, it protects the planet from harmful cosmic rays, which plays a crucial role in providing a suitable environment for life on Earth.” .

Using a giant cell, scientists discover the Earth's interior

Reports from the German Frankfurter Rundschau website indicated that some iron atoms in the Earth's core show a strange ability to move quickly, and it seems that they were able to exchange their positions in a fraction of a second, while maintaining their basic molecular structure.

This type of movement is known as “congregational movement,” a phenomenon that can be seen in many contexts of daily life, such as the formation of flocks of birds and herds of animals, in addition to the movement of individuals in human gatherings and traffic.

In a laboratory instead of underground

The challenges lie in studying the Earth's inner core in its harsh conditions, where temperatures are very high and pressures reach melting levels. But through laboratory tests and theoretical models, researchers have uncovered indications that atoms in the Earth's core are exhibiting unprecedented motion.

This discovery has contributed to a better understanding of unique features of the Earth's core that have been of interest to scientists for a long time, such as the precise composition of the Earth's magnetic field.

Using a scale model of the Earth's core in the laboratory, the team began by rapidly firing particles at a small plate made of iron, yielding data about temperature, pressure and velocity. This data was then used in a computer model that represented the atoms in the Earth's core using artificial intelligence techniques.

Through this model, which was created using artificial intelligence, a “giant cell” containing about 30,000 atoms was created. This model allowed the properties of atoms to be predicted with greater accuracy. What caught attention was the movement of atoms that appeared unexpectedly, as groups of them were able to move. And exchange their locations, while maintaining their basic arrangement.

This unexpected movement of atoms may help explain why seismic readings of the Earth's inner core are more easily and malleable than expected under this high pressure. Another research team has suggested that there may be liquid iron inside the Earth's inner core.

This discovery sheds light on the secret of the unusual movement of atoms in the Earth's core, and opens new horizons for understanding the dynamic processes and evolution in this basic component of our planet.

Also know:

What if there were mirrors in space?

What if the sun suddenly disappeared?

Sources:

nbcnews

dw.com