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A flip in the magnetic field? Has something like that ever happened in history or is ever predicted to happen? What would the damage be?
by warent 4y ago
A flip in the magnetic field? Has something like that ever happened in history or is ever predicted to happen? What would the damage be?
- pfdietz 4y agoIt happens on a geological timescale, and is used to help date rocks. The ocean floor is marked with stripes of normal and reversed magnetic polarity (the magnetic field is faintly recorded in magnetization of minerals like magnetite), and this was a strong initial clue that led to the theory of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/pubtalk-72004-secrets-stone https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/pubtalk-72004-secrets-ston...
- xeromal 4y agoYou're in for a treat. Our magnetic field is currently doing some crazy stuff and moving quite fast. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Magnetic_North_Pole_Positions_2015.svg/1200px-Magnetic_North_Pole_Positions_2015.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Ma...
- nerdponx 4y agoI would love to read the primary sources at the time describing peoples reactions to the movement of magnetic north. Were they surprised?
- GuB-42 4y agoWe are talking about thousands of years for the flip to happen, and hundreds of thousands of years between each flip. We have geological records that it happened, as for the damage, there was a theory that it was linked to mass extinction, but latest research find it unlikely. It would still be bad for us, but not something worth worrying about right now.