Earth's solid inner core is 'surprisingly soft' thanks to hyperactive atoms jostling around

Scientists recently discovered that Earth's inner core, which was long thought to be an unmoving ball of solid metal, might be a lot less rigid than we expected. Now, a new study suggests this surprising softness may be caused by hyperactive atoms that move around within their molecular structure much more than we realized.

The pressure at the heart of our planet is immense, so experts initially believed the core must be completely solid and that the iron atoms within it, which are arranged in a massive hexagonal lattice, must be permanently held in place. The researchers recreated the intense pressure within the inner core in the lab and observed how the iron atoms behaved under these conditions. The scientists then fed this data into a computer-learning program to create a simulated virtual core that they dubbed the"supercell." Using the supercell, the team was able to see how the iron atoms moved within their supposedly rigid structure.

The supercell simulations show that some of these atoms can move around in groups, taking up other positions in the lattice without compromising its overall shape — kind of like how dinner guests change seats at a table without adding or removing chairs, researchers wrote in the statement. This type of movement is known as"collective motion.

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