Earth core

A subtle yet significant geological phenomenon is currently taking place beneath the African continent. Rhythmic surges of molten rocks, pulsing upward like a "heartbeat," are ripping the continent apart to pave the way for a new ocean.

The hot interior of planets isn’t somewhere you’d expect to find snow, but “iron snow” could fall on Earth’s core. A new study has modeled the dynamics in the lab and found that iron snow could make magnetic fields switch on and off in some planets.

We only have to look up at the Moon to see the remains of a cataclysmic collision between two early planets, billions of years ago. Evidence may also be beneath our feet, as scientists suggest the remains of that ancient planet lurk near Earth’s core.

Scientists from Caltech and WHOI have found evidence that Earth’s core is leaking. High levels of a particular isotope of helium were found in lava flows in Canada, which the team proposes originated in the planet’s core.

The Earth’s inner core is incredibly tricky to study, since it’s buried beneath thousands of miles of rock. New seismic studies suggest that it’s not just a solid ball of iron, as has been assumed, but might have pockets of liquid iron throughout.

Researchers have examined tiny time capsules found in the oldest-known crystals in an attempt to settle a question that divides scientists: when did Earth’s tectonic plates begin to move and was it at the time life began on Earth?

Everyone is familiar with sunken treasure on the ocean floor. Now, researchers may have found an ancient ocean floor that is itself a type of geological buried treasure. What's more, it has mountains that are five times taller than Everest.

The inner Earth is a mysterious place, and now scientists may have uncovered a strange new secret. According to a new study, the Earth’s inner core may have recently stopped rotating, relative to the surface, as part of a decades-long cycle.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found that Earth’s inner core may be stranger than we thought. Rather than a plain solid, new simulations suggest it exists as a superionic state of matter, partway between a liquid and a solid.

The extremely hot interior of Earth is slowly cooling down, but exactly how fast is unknown. By studying how well a common deep-Earth mineral conducts heat, researchers have now found that the planet’s interior may be cooling faster than expected.

New evidence suggests that snow may be falling within the broiling hot core of planet Earth. Of course, this isn’t your everyday surface snow – these flakes would be made of iron, settling onto the solid inner core through the more fluid outer core.

The Earth is almost 4.5 billion years old, but it’s young at heart – literally. Researchers from the University of Rochester have now dated the solid inner core of the planet to just 565 million years, making it a relative toddler compared to the rest of Earth.