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by ibgames

EARTHDATE: February 15, 2015

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REAL LIFE NEWS: WHAT LIES AT THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH

by Hazed

What lies at the centre of the Earth? Jules Verne* may have imagined sending an expedition to find out, but in reality there are no lava tubes inside volcanoes that lead to the planet’s core, and nor is it possible to tunnel or drill down into the heart of the Earth, which makes its makeup a mystery.

But now scientists have used the echoes generated by earthquakes to study the core, by analysing the way they change as they travel through the different layers making up the planet, and they believe they have found another, distinct region at the centre where the structure of the iron crystals is different from those found in the outer part of the inner core.

The researchers from China and the US said that the data suggests the solid region about the size of the moon, which is the Earth’s inner core, is made up of two parts. They say that crystals in the “inner inner core” are aligned east-to-west and those in the “outer inner core” are lined up north-to-south.

Prof Xiaodong Song, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said: “The fact we are discovering different structures at different regions of the inner core can tell us something about the very long history of the Earth.” This suggests that the two areas formed under different conditions, and that the planet may have undergone a dramatic change during this period.

* Jules Verne was a French writer from the mid-19th century who wrote adventure stories that today are classed as science fiction. His book Journey to the Centre of the Earth is a classic, and because it’s out of copyright you can download the ebook for free here. And as a bonus for lovers of prog rock, here’s a musical version by the keyboard player from the band Yes, Rick Wakeman.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31322817

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