What happens on Earth when magnetic poles change?

As we live out our cosmic adventure, we travel comfortably on a planet with an effective, invisible protective layer. This “protective sky” is the Earth’s magnetic field, which, in addition to deflecting most high-energy charged particles from the Sun and deep space, also prevents our precious atmosphere from leaking into space.

However, this protective structure, which reminds us that “everything is constantly changing”, also reverses from time to time. So every hundreds of thousands of years This shield causes its poles to geomagnetically flip; the north pole becomes the south pole and vice versa..

Although our poles have reversed hundreds of times over the last 160 million years, no one knows for sure when the next reversal will occur. Some experts say we are already “too late”, Because since 1831, when we discovered the existence of the magnetic field, it has moved more than 1,100 kilometers in the north-northwest direction and the migration speed has increased from 16 kilometers per year to 55 kilometers per year.

Why do Earth’s magnetic poles reverse?

Earth’s magnetic field is produced by the movement of molten metallic material in the planet’s outer core (a layer located between the mantle and the inner core). In short, the Earth’s rotation moves this liquid metal, producing electrical currents.

This constant movement of liquid metals, primarily iron and nickel, becomes chaotic over thousands of years.

“Polar Reversal Occurs during periods of low geomagnetic field intensity, where the intensity of the dipolar component is greatly reduced and the structure of the field becomes unstable,” geophysicist Leonardo Sagnotti explains to Space.com.

What happens when the Earth’s magnetic field changes direction?

Although this is a natural event and does not initially pose a catastrophic threat to life on Earth, the reversal of magnetic poles brings about a decrease in the magnetic field that can last for thousands of years. This would theoretically mean less protection against cosmic and solar radiation. may affect human health and accelerate mutation rates in living organisms.

According to the British Geological Survey, “reversal patterns do not match species extinctions throughout geological history.” The research institution underlines that even if there is no magnetic field, we would have an atmosphere that protects us. “It is as effective as a concrete layer approximately four meters thick.”

However, some of our technological systems, such as communications and satellites, may be seriously affected. This hypothetical disorientation could also affect other forms of life, such as birds, fish, and sea turtles, that depend on their “internal compass” to migrate.

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