Jet Stream Present In Earth’s Core, According To Satellites

Earth's molten iron core may not actually be all iron. Scientists discovered a jet stream using the latest satellite data, helping to create an X-ray view of the planet.

Dr. Phil Livermore at the University of Leeds noted that the European Space Agency's (ESA) Swarm satellites have been providing the sharpest X-ray images yet of the core, adding that scientists not only saw this jet stream clearly for the first time but they also understood why it was there. He shared, "We can explain it as an accelerating band of molten iron circling the North Pole, like the jet stream in the atmosphere,"

Phys.org noted that the core, which is under 3,000 kilometers of rock, made it difficult for scientists to study the core. But previous research found that changes in the magnetic field indicates iron in the outer core to be moving faster in the Northern Hemisphere, in areas under Alaska and Siberia. However, new Swarm satellites revealed that it was not actually the case. It was actually caused by a jet stream moving at over 40 kilometers per year -- three times faster than typical core speeds and hundreds and thousands of times faster than the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates.

Reports also said that the ESA Swarm mission's trio of satellites simultaneously measured and untangled the different magnetic signals, providing clear information regarding the magnetic field that was created in the core.

The study, which was published in Nature Geoscience, found that the jetstream aligned with a boundary between two different regions in the core, making the jet stream likely to be caused by liquid in the core moving toward the boundary from both sides, which is squeezed sideways. Rune Floberghagen, the mission manager of the ESA, noted that there are further surprises in store. The magnetic field is changing, and this could mean that the jet stream could change direction. No matter the case, the discovery of the jet stream can help scientists learn more about the inner workings of the planet.