The inner core of Earth seems to have stopped spinning in the same direction as the rest of the planet. The hot iron ball, which seems to be around the size of Pluto, may be rotating in the opposite direction. Such a turnaround might sound bizarre, but isn’t likely to have profound effects on lifeThe results could help to shine a light on the many mysteries of the deep Earth, including what part the inner core plays in maintaining the planet’s magnetic field and in affecting the speed of the whole planet’s rotation
The ‘planet within the planet’, which is roughly 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) below the surface, can spin independently. This is because it floats in the liquid metal outer core.
The study said they found that the rotation of the inner core "came to a near halt around 2009 and then turned in an opposite direction".
One cycle of the swing is of around seven decades. This means that it changes direction after every 35 years, the researchers added.
It changed its direction earlier in the early 1970s and the same may happen again in the mid-2040s.