Trending Now - Earth's Outer Core Circulation Shift Began in 2010

WHO:

ScienceAlert - Frederik Dahl Madsen, geoscientist at the University of Edinburgh.

IFLScience - John E. Vidale, Professor of Earth Sciences at USC.

IFLScience - Elisabetta Iorfida, ESA’s Swarm Mission Scientist.

WHAT:

ScienceAlert - A section of Earth's outer core beneath the Pacific Ocean reversed direction in 2010, moving eastward against the usual westward flow.

IFLScience - The outer core's flow changed from weakly westward to strongly eastward in 2010, accounting for around 5 percent of the outer core's surface flow.

IFLScience - The eastward flow in the Pacific has been weakening since 2020.

WHERE:

ScienceAlert - The molten outer core is located deep beneath the Pacific Ocean.

WHEN:

ScienceAlert - The flow reversal in the outer core began in 2010.

ScienceAlert - The researchers analyzed satellite data from 1997 to 2025.

IFLScience - The disruption in the length of Earth's day linked to the core occurred in 2010 and did not resolve until 2014.

ScienceAlert - Geomagnetic jerks were recorded in 2017.

WHY:

ScienceAlert - The flow reversal raises questions about the behavior of Earth's deep interior and whether it represents a short-lived fluctuation, part of a repeating oscillation, or a new stable equilibrium for core circulation.

IFLScience - The changes in the outer core's flow are likely related to "events triggered in the deeper core in 2010."

HOW:

ScienceAlert - The findings were based on satellite measurements of Earth's magnetic field.

IFLScience - The study utilized data from the European Space Agency's Swarm and Cryosat missions, among others.

(UPDATED May 27, 2026 08:22 UTC)

Researchers, including geoscientist Frederik Dahl Madsen from the University of Edinburgh and Professor John E. Vidale from USC, have found that a section of Earth's outer core beneath the Pacific Ocean reversed its flow direction in 2010, shifting from a weak westward movement to a strong eastward one. This change, which accounts for about 5 percent of the outer core's surface flow, has been weakening since 2020 and is linked to disruptions in the length of Earth's day that persisted until 2014. The study, which analyzed satellite data from the European Space Agency's Swarm and Cryosat missions, raises intriguing questions about the stability of core circulation and whether this phenomenon is a temporary fluctuation or a new equilibrium.