What if Earth's Magnetic Field Flipped?

What if Earth's Magnetic Field Flipped?

The magnetic field does more than provide the compass with a reference point: it protects us from the full impact of sun-laden solar charged particles that would otherwise bombard us with ultraviolet rays. The origins of the magnetic field begin thousands of kilometers below the surface of the Earth, where convection in the outer core produces electric currents that, combined with the rotation of the Earth, create and maintain a magnetic field that crosses the planet as a two-pole straight magnet, north and south.

When we talk about the tilting of the Earth's magnetic field, we hear an event where these poles are reversed. And this has already happened before - about 170 times in the last 100 million years.

The last time this occurred 780,000 years ago, although a temporary turnaround occurred 41,000 years ago and lasted less than 1,000 years. The causes of these reversals remain mysterious and it is impossible to predict completely when the next could occur.

However, we know that a turnaround does not happen overnight. Instead, it takes between 100,000 and 20,000 years, and this is accompanied by a decrease in the intensity of the magnetic field. On the basis of measures that began in the mid-1800s, we are currently at the center of such a weakening. In 2014, satellite data from the European Space Agency revealed that the magnetic field loses 5% of its power in a decade.

Some say the decline may cease at any time, while others say the magnetic field will shift in the next 1,500 years.

In addition to the current compass pointing to the south and not to the north, what would happen if the magnetic field was reversed? While the atmosphere would still help protect the planet from radiation, the weakening of the magnetic field before the reversal could make us vulnerable to carcinogenic energy particles and cosmic rays.

An inverted magnetic field could severely disrupt communication systems and power grids. It could likewise create various north and south poles, and whales, and other migratory animals that utilization the field to set up an ability to know a sense of direction may have issues.