--- title: "Scientists Discover Strange Tiny Signals Coming From Earth’s Core" description: "Scientists discovered that the Earth's magnetic field fluctuated like clockwork every seven years, drifting westward at 900 mph around the equator." date: "2022-03-24" modified: "2022-03-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tiny-signals-earths-core" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "earth's core" - "earth's mantle" - "inner core" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Discover Strange Tiny Signals Coming From Earth’s Core ![Scientists discovered that the Earth's magnetic field fluctuated like clockwork every seven years, drifting westward at 900 mph around the equator.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Tiny Wiggles The Earth's magnetic field is the result of charged particles getting trapped in a turbulent dance of convection currents deep below the surface. But according to a [new study]() published in the journal *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*, there may be method to the madness. A team led by Nicolas Gillet from the Grenoble Alpes University in France discovered that the planet's magnetic field fluctuated like clockwork every seven years, drifting westward at 900 mph around the equator — demonstrating that there's still a lot to learn about the inner workings of our planet. "What is important to know is that the magnetic field in the core evolves on very long timescales," Gillet [told *New Scientist*](). "And what we witnessed is only tiny wiggles on top of this." ## Rocks on Rocks So far, scientists have predicted that a thin layer of stratified rock could be causing shifts in the magnetic field between the Earth's outer core and mantle. But Gillet's research suggests these changes could be taking place without the rock layer. His team analyzed geomagnetic field data between 1999 and 2021 taken by satellites and ground-based observatories. And the findings, they say, could have great implications on how we understand the formation of our planet. "We try to understand the physics that is responsible for the observed evolution of the magnetic field of our planet," Gillet [told *Newsweek*](). "It evolves over all time-scales, and the longer periods show the strongest changes." "These interannual changes remained unexplained since their discovery in the late 1970s in ground-based records," he added. "Understanding them opens a door on the field deep in the core, which we cannot directly probe based on observations alone." **READ MORE:** [Tiny magnetic waves have been discovered in Earth’s core]() \[*New Scientist*\] **More on the Earth's core:** *[Scientists Puzzled by Two Huge Masses Inside the Earth]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()