A new study of decades worth of seismogram data shows that the surface of Earth’s iron and nickel core is more malleable than scientists thought.

For a long time, scientists thought the Earth's inner core was a solid ball of metal, sort of like a planet within a planet that sits some 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) below the surface. However, researchers from the University of Southern Carolina (USC) now say they discovered — almost by accident — that the Earth's inner core may be much more malleable.

Researchers studying decades of earthquake data say they have found the first evidence that, in addition to spinning backward, Earth’s inner core in changing shape.

Not only is Earth’s inner core spinning and growing, but it’s also changing shape, according to new research. Our planet’s […]