(ORDO NEWS) — The Earth’s magnetic field can change and move from one state to another much more often than scientists thought. This can have serious consequences for all creatures on planet Earth.
In recent years, scientists have been preparing for a potential flip in a magnetic field – a natural phenomenon that was supposed to occur every 200,000 to 300,000 years when the north and south poles change places. It is believed that the attempt to change the poles occurred 40,000 years ago, but the process failed.
It is believed that the last time the poles switched places is 780,000 years ago. This says that the Earth’s pole change should already take place, or this is about to happen. The poles are constantly shifting, usually about one degree per year.
But a new study suggests that the speed of a magnetic field can be much faster than previously thought. The Earth’s magnetic field is created by a liquid iron outer core spinning around a solid inner core. The dynamic action creates an invisible field that passes through the north and south of the planet and surrounds it, converging at the North and South poles of the Earth.
Many species of animals, especially birds, have an idea of magnetic poles, which allow them to successfully move around the globe during periods of mass migration, which makes experts fear that the process of pole change may have tragic consequences.
Earth’s magnetic field also protects us from the sun’s rays causing cancer. In addition, people are becoming more and more dependent on the magnetic field, since the work of orbiting satellites depends on its state.
However, since there was no humanity at the time of the last pole change, it is still very difficult to predict when exactly the following will happen. Scientists can only follow the movements of the magnetic field.
By analyzing traces of magnetic activity in things such as sediment, lava flows, and even objects created by humans, scientists have discovered that the magnetic field can shift 10 times faster than previously thought. This is stated in a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. Here is what geophysicist Chris Davis from the University of Leeds said:
“We have very incomplete knowledge about our magnetic field and its state 400 years ago. Because these rapid changes are some of the most extreme properties of a liquid core, they can provide important information about the behavior of the depths of the Earth.”
“Understanding whether computer simulations of a magnetic field accurately reflects the physical behavior of a geomagnetic field according to geological data can be very difficult.”
“But in this case, we were able to identify excellent indicators both in terms of the rate of change and the general location of the most extreme events in the range of computer modeling. Further study of the evolving dynamics using our models will provide a useful strategy for documenting how such rapid changes occur and whether they are detected in times of stable magnetic polarity, which we observe today.”
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