Scientists: Earth spins faster at center

"The solid core that measures about 1,500 miles (2,414 kilometers) in diameter is spinning about 1/4 to 1/2 degree faster, per year, than the rest of the world, scientists from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

"The spin of the Earth's core is an important part of the dynamo that created the planet's magnetic field, and researcher Xiaodong Song said he believes magnetic interaction is responsible for the different rates of spin."

"Since the planet is divided into 360 degrees of longitude, a core spinning one-quarter to 1/2 degree faster than the outer surface could take between 700 and 1,400 years to get one full revolution ahead." ...