A team of geophysicists believes they have detected a massive shift deep within the Earth nearly two decades ago. Their study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, analyzed data collected by NASA’s GRACE satellites between 2006 and 2008. Originally designed to monitor groundwater and sea levels, the satellites also revealed subtle changes in Earth’s gravitational field—signs that something far below the surface, near the boundary of the core and mantle, had mysteriously moved. Researchers propose that minerals like perovskite may have undergone structural changes, altering density and triggering ripples that extended toward the core, possibly influencing the planet’s magnetic field.

The event coincided with a “geomagnetic jerk” detected off Africa’s coast in 2007—strange readings that couldn’t be explained by surface water shifts alone. Scientists suggest that these deep-earth changes may have impacted how molten rock flows in the outer core, reshaping magnetic activity in ways still poorly understood. While the findings remain preliminary, they highlight how much remains hidden about the forces that sustain Earth’s protective magnetic shield. NASA has since launched the GRACE Follow-On mission in 2018, providing new data to continue investigating this profound mystery beneath our feet.

SOURCE: Futurism