Lopsided Growth of Earth's Inner Core

Abstract

Clearing Up the Inner Core The behavior of Earth's core controls the planet's heat budget and magnetic field, yet its structure remains enigmatic. For instance, the seismic properties of the solid inner core suggest hemispherical structural asymmetry, but questions remain as to how these variations arose (see the Perspective by Buffett ). Monnereau et al. (p. 1014 , published online 15 April) modeled grain sizes of crystalline iron—the predicted dominant mineral phase in the core—and found that a slow translational motion eastward may trigger melting in the Eastern Hemisphere and solidification in the Western Hemisphere, creating a lopsided core. Deuss et al. (p. 1018 , published online 15 April) examined the normal-mode seismic structure of the inner core, collected from 90 large earthquakes, which reveal not just simple hemispherical variations, but more nuanced regional structures. The overlap of the seismic data with Earth's magnetic field suggests that directionally dependent crystal alignment in the inner core formed during the solidification of the core or as a consequence of strong forces exerted by magnetism.