But there has been one big mystery: Earth’s inner core, a solid ball of iron, only began to form about a billion years ago.

The core is estimated to contain 99.999 percent of Earth’s gold, as well as high concentrations of platinum and other highly siderophile elements. These metals, which bond readily with iron ...

Scientists break down the reasons why days are getting shorter—and the mystery they're still trying to solve about Earth's ...

Earth is spinning faster this summer, making the days marginally shorter and attracting the attention of scientists and ...

This summer a few factors are adding up to make a handful of Earth’s spins—those occurring on July 10, July 22 and August 5—more than a millisecond faster than the average of the past several decades.

The moon causes a second phenomenon that affects Earth’s rotation on a human timescale. Beachgoers know full well that the moon’s gravity causes the seas’ daily high and low tides, and the solid Earth ...

Earth is fortunate in having a magnetic field: it protects the planet and its life from harmful cosmic radiation. Other ...

Despite decades of effort, humans have only drilled 0.2% into Earth’s crust. Heat, pressure, and flowing rock make reaching ...

Gigantic hidden fortresses discovered 1,800 miles underground in Earth's mantle, rewrite how the planet's interior works.

Earth's rotation is speeding up, with July 22 being one of the shortest days ever recorded, 1.34 milliseconds less than 24 ...