Huge liquid 'jet stream' in Earth's outer core speeds upPublished: Friday, December 23, 2016
A recently discovered liquid iron "jet stream" circling the Earth's outer core appears to be picking up speed. In a recent discovery published in *Nature Geoscience*, scientists say the stream is moving westward under Alaska and Siberia at a speed of 50 kilometers (31 miles) per year. This speed is much faster that anything scientists know of within Earth's interior. Scientists have not figured out what is causing the acceleration. This underground liquid iron jet is similar to the jet stream that occurs within the atmosphere. It extends halfway around Earth and has likely been there for hundreds of millions of years. Studying the liquid iron jet could shed light on the state of Earth's liquid core and how it behaves (Trevor Nace, *Forbes* <http://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2016/12/22/liquid-iron-jet-surrounded-earths-core-accelerating/#5c44e65e3ce3>, Dec. 22). *— CS* _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
