PLANET EARTH
Earth may have a hidden core
Words by Stephanie Pappas
Earth is made up of three layers
© Getty
New research finds that there may be a hidden layer inside the Earth’s solid inner core – an inner-inner core, if you will. The precise nature of this layer is mysterious, but it could have something to do with changes in the structure of iron under extreme temperatures and pressures. A study revealed that there is more complexity to the inner core than previously appreciated, said Jo Stephenson, a doctoral student in seismology at Australian National University in Canberra: “It’s not just a solid ball of iron”.