Saw movie 'The Core'-Can the inner core of the earth stop rotating? and if yes what will be its implication?

Question

As per the movie which I now know is true, the inner core of the earth is rotating at a speed faster then the eaths crust. Can it stop rotation? if yes, what will be its effect? Will eath stop producting EM waves, will we be roasted out by suns radiation? what else can happen? And what is the probability of this occuring?

Answer 1

I refused to see that movie out of sheer principle.

Movies like that give people false science.

morningfoxnorth, I spit out my tea when I saw 'magic'. Good show.

Answer 2

I saw that movie, it was stupid. The core has been rotating since the earth began, so its doubtfull it will stop any time soon. It probably has stopped in the past otherwise how did the poles reverse. The spinning of the core combined with the circulation of the liquid outter core gives the earth its magnetic field, for it to flip the circulation or rotation would have to change. I think it has to do more with the circulation of the outter core. It makes more sense that the convection currents in the outter core would occur in such a way that they cancel each other out. The inner core suddenly stopping and changing direction...eh...that'd be hard to explain. As for the rest of your question without a magnetic field we'd be in trouble, but it would be more of a long term problem. Things like skin cancer, erosion of our atmosphere, and electronics failure, those types of things would be an issue, not the melting of the Golden Gate Bridge. We know that the poles reverse, but we don't know how long the magnetic field is down for, thats the key question, does it start right back up or does it take a little while? Who knows. The thing is, if it were to happen tomorrow there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.

Answer 3

The inner core rotation is only a _little_ bit faster than the rest of the Earth. While we on the surface rotate 2772 times in 2772 days, the inner core rotates about 2773 times. That about 7 and a half years! Or maybe it takes 400 years? There is some evidence that the core is not rotating at all -- it is just "cells" within the core that are rotating. This is something like boiling water in a pot, the water doesn't rotate around the pot, but it does roll.

There are two things that might stop the core from rotating.
(1) Magic.
(2) Friction with the outer earth. This would take billions of years.

Answer 4

. Cross section of the whole Earth, showing the complexity of paths of earthquake waves. The paths curve because the different rock types found at different depths change the speed at which the waves travel. Solid lines marked P are compressional waves; dashed lines marked S are shear waves. S waves do not travel through the core but may be converted to compressional waves (marked K) on entering the core (PKP, SKS). Waves may be reflected at the surface (PP, PPP, SS).


The core was the first internal structural element to be identified. It was discovered in 1906 by R.D. Oldham, from his study of earthquake records, and it helped to explain Newton's calculation of the Earth's density. The outer core is presumed to be liquid because it does not transmit shear (S) waves and because the velocity of compressional (P) waves that pass through it is sharply reduced. The inner core is considered to be solid because of the behavior of P and S waves passing through it.
Cross section of the whole Earth, showing the complexity of paths of earthquake waves. The paths curve because the different rock types found at different depths change the speed at which the waves travel. Solid lines marked P are compressional waves; dashed lines marked S are shear waves. S waves do not travel through the core but may be converted to compressional waves (marked K) on entering the core (PKP, SKS). Waves may be reflected at the surface (PP, PPP, SS).

Data from earthquake waves, rotations and inertia of the whole Earth, magnetic-field dynamo theory, and laboratory experiments on melting and alloying of iron all contribute to the identification of the composition of the inner and outer core. The core is presumed to be composed principally of iron, with about 10 percent alloy of oxygen or sulfur or nickel, or perhaps some combination of these three elements.


This table of depths, densities, and composition is derived mostly from information in a textbook by Don L. Anderson (see Suggested Reading). Scientists are continuing to refine the chemical and mineral composition of the Earth's interior by laboratory experiments, by using pressures 2 million times the pressure of the atmosphere at the surface and temperatures as high as 20000C.

Answer 5

I also refused to see this movie. It's on par with "Volcano" with Ann Heche.

Both are awful.

Answer 6

Tell all more.