• Earth’s magnetic field extends tens of thousands of kilometres into spaceGetty Images/iStockphoto Earth’s magnetic field extends tens of thousands of kilometres into space Getty Images/iStockphoto Two vast, mysterious blobs of hot rock around Earth’s core may have been instrumental in producingEarth’s magnetic fieldand caused it to be slightly wonky for millions of years. • Scientists have known for decades abouttwo peculiar continent-sizedchunks of rock, one beneath Africa and the other under the Pacific Ocean. • These blobs, which extend nearly 1000 kilometres from the outer core to the rocky mantle above, must be different from their surroundings because seismic waves travel through them more slowly. • But as it is difficult to measure them due to their depth, scientists can’t identify exactly how they differ. • Read moreHow buried cables are revealing Earth’s interior in incredible detail Read more How buried cables are revealing Earth’s interior in incredible detail Andrew Bigginat the University of Liverpool, UK, and his colleagues looked to Earth’s magnetic field for clues. • This field has been generated for billions of years by the churning of molten iron within our planet’s core.
Article Summaries:
- Two vast, mysterious blobs of hot rock around Earth’s core may have been instrumental in producing Earth’s magnetic field and caused it to be slightly wonky for millions of years. Scientists have known for decades about two peculiar continent-sized chunks of rock, one beneath Africa and the other under the Pacific Ocean. These blobs, which extend nearly 1000 kilometres from the outer core to the rocky mantle above, must be different from their surroundings because seismic waves travel through them more slowly. But as it is difficult to measure them due to their depth, scientists can’t identify
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