• Recent Analysis Isolates Last Magnetic Pole Flip: ESA Data Show Magnetic Field Shifting
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[QUOTE]Earth’s magnetic field is generated by an interaction between rotation in the planet’s core and electrical currents. The field then creates the magnetosphere, which acts sort of like a force field, protecting the planet from the brunt of the sun's solar wind. This field has both a North and South pole, which can be used for navigational purposes, and they are not static.[URL="http://www.physics.org/facts/frog-magnetic-field.asp"]Variations in the electric current[/URL] have caused the poles to migrate as much as 16 km (10 miles) per year.The field itself is not fixed either, and about every 450,000 years or so, the poles actually reverse. This puts the magnetic North where the South was, and vice versa. Last month, a team from the University of California, Santa Cruz was able to [URL="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301926813002970"]determine[/URL] that the last pole reversal occurred roughly 786,000 years ago over the course of less than 100 years -- within a single human lifetime. Typically, these events take place over the course of thousands of years. The planet seems to be long overdue for a field reversal: there is [URL="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141110-earths-magnetic-field-flips-more?ocid=fbert"]evidence[/URL] that these events happen more frequently than they used to hundreds of millions of years ago. This could be due to the inner core growing larger, which is obstructing the outer core, resulting in a magnetic field that isn’t quite as solid. Evidence of magnetic field reversals can be [URL="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301926813002970"]seen in rocks[/URL]. When molten rock cools, the metal components are oriented toward the field. By looking at layers of rock, geologists are able to observe where the metallic molecules are pointing, and thus, determine the direction of the magnetic field. The European Space Agency’s [URL="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/The_Living_Planet_Programme/Earth_Explorers/Swarm"]Swarm constellation[/URL] uses three satellites to study the Earth’s magnetic field as well as the oceans and the planet’s inner structure. At a Swarm science meeting held in Copenhagen this past summer, it was [URL="http://www.iflscience.com/physics/earths-electromagnetic-field-weakening"]announced[/URL] that the magnetic field has been weakening by roughly 5% every 10 years. A weakening or unstable magnetic field could be a sign that a reversal is about to occur. The strength of the magnetic field normally does fluctuate a little bit, but the rate that this appears to be happening is larger than normal. The field appears to be weakening about [URL="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-s-magnetic-field-flip-could-happen-sooner-than-expected/"]ten times faster[/URL]than previously predicted, indicating that an event could be coming sooner rather than later.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.iflscience.com/environment/earth-s-magnetic-field-about-flip"]Source[/URL] [URL="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/The_Living_Planet_Programme/Earth_Explorers/Swarm/Overview"]ESA Source[/URL] [URL="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301926813002970"]Uni of Cal. Study[/URL] Slightly old news, but informative. Hypothesizing, the Van Allen belts would actually move farther out from the Earth if the field continues to weaken, however solar flares... This new data could help towards understanding by validating or invalidating the [URL="http://www.es.ucsc.edu/~glatz/geodynamo.html"]Geodynamo theory[/URL].
so does this mean 2012 is happening but later than expected
So... could someone explain exactly what this is going to do and why we're all going to die?
[QUOTE=Solomon;46585410]so does this mean 2012 is happening but later than expected[/QUOTE]No it does not mean 2 years ago is coming back :v: .
[QUOTE=EpicRandomnes;46585468]So... could someone explain exactly what this is going to do and why we're all going to die?[/QUOTE] Basically Earth's magnetosphere is going to probably flip 'soon' ( which range from our life-time to thousands of years ), meaning that the magnetic north pole goes to south and the other goes north. During the shift however the field is very weak, so that's a worry. But there's no linkage between mass-extinctions and polar shifts, so it probably won't be that terrible ( there's still other sources of protection, like the atmosphere ). Personally I am worried about our powergrids, since they will be much more vulnerable to solar flares, although proper prediction would probably protect them kinda sufficiently. Satellites will probably be affected too. Edit: Still, we don't know how weak the magnetic field will be. Some floating estimates say that the field during shift will be only 5% of the normal strength ( based on a previous shift ), but again, this is not certain. And we have no idea how quick the flip would be. Some evidence suggest it could be over in few decades etc. Then there are some suggestions that it could take 10 000 years at worst.
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