Magnetism in Ancient Crystals Reveals When Earth's Inner Core Emerged

The history of Earth's inner core can be traced back to hundreds of millions of years ago, thanks to an analysis of ancient rock crystals.

There is a solid inner core and a molten outer core in Earth's core. The rocky mantle is the most dense of all the layers. It's about 2,900 kilometers underground.

It looks like Earth's inner core was forming into a large mass around 500 million years ago. The scene for a major explosion of life was set when the magnetic field was restored.

The swirling liquid iron in the outer core of the planet protects it from harmful solar winds. The study makes clear that the solid iron-nickel alloy at the very center is an energy source.

John Tarduno is ageophysicist from the University of Rochester in New York. The magnetic field was at the point of collapse before the inner core began to grow.

The need for a growing inner core that sustains a magnetic field on a planet is highlighted by this research.

The huge distances and hot temperatures make measuring Earth's core almost impossible. These crystals record magnetism very accurately.

It took tens of millions of years for the change to happen.

A boundary between the innermost and outermost inner core was created 450 million years ago by the structure of the inner core, according to thermal models. The changes in the mantle are similar to the times.

Tarduno said that they could explore the fact that the present-day inner core is composed of two parts.

The history of plate tectonic movements on Earth's surface can be seen in the inner core.

Knowing more about how the inner core evolved to its present state can help us understand how it might change again in the future, as well as give us a comparison point to use when studying other planets.

If the inner core hadn't grown, Earth's magnetic field wouldn't have been strong enough to protect us from harmful solar radiation.

With no magnetic field to protect it, the Martian atmosphere has been stripped away by solar winds across the course of billions of years.

If the magnetic field hadn't been regenerated, Earth would have lost more water. The planet would not be the same as it is now.

The research has appeared in a journal.