Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The molten core, which swirls about 2200 km beneath our feet, generates Earth’s geomagnetic field as it moves. By measuring small changes in the magnetic field, scientists have historically observed the core flowing mainly westwards. But in 2010, it unexpectedly changed direction deep beneath the Pacific Ocean and started moving strongly eastwards. The reasons for this unexplained reversal in the flow of molten material are still a mystery but satellites, including ESA’s Swarm and CryoSat, provided data that has now been analysed and published.
The study, published in the Journal Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior, analyses both ground observations and satellite data between 1997 and 2025. The video shows the large scale of flow in the molten core between 1997 and 2025. The overturn of the flow below the Pacific and the main stable structures of the flow have been isolated. Each arrow indicates the movement of the core liquid horizontal to Earth’s surface.
Read full story: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/Insights_into_Earth_s_molten_outer_core_from_space
Credits: ESA (data source: Madsen et al, 2026)
Access the video on the ESA video library: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/05/Change_in_Earth_s_molten_core_flow_1997_2025
Our main YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions
The molten core, which swirls about 2200 km beneath our feet, generates Earth’s geomagnetic field as it moves. By measuring small changes in the magnetic field, scientists have historically observed the core flowing mainly westwards. But in 2010, it unexpectedly changed direction deep beneath the Pacific Ocean and started moving strongly eastwards. The reasons for this unexplained reversal in the flow of molten material are still a mystery but satellites, including ESA’s Swarm and CryoSat, provided data that has now been analysed and published.
The study, published in the Journal Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior, analyses both ground observations and satellite data between 1997 and 2025. The video shows the large scale of flow in the molten core between 1997 and 2025. The overturn of the flow below the Pacific and the main stable structures of the flow have been isolated. Each arrow indicates the movement of the core liquid horizontal to Earth’s surface.
Read full story: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/Insights_into_Earth_s_molten_outer_core_from_space
Credits: ESA (data source: Madsen et al, 2026)
Access the video on the ESA video library: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/05/Change_in_Earth_s_molten_core_flow_1997_2025
Our main YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions
