Scientists at Lund University have recently pieced together data on Earth's geomagnetic field stretching back 9,000 years and say there is no evidence a reversal is on the cards.

A Mail Online report specified that the idea of the magnetic poles flipping on Earth might sound like the plot of the most recent science-fiction blockbuster, yet a lot of scientists believe it could occur at any time.

Historically, the North and South poles of Earth have flipped every 200,000 to 300,000 years; nonetheless, the last one occurred approximately 780,000 years ago, causing many scientists to fear a flip could be looming.

If a magnetic flip does not occur, some experts have said it could render some parts of Earth "uninhabitable" by knocking out power grids.

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Magnetic Fields
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/ESA/DTU Space)
‘Snapshot’ of the main magnetic field at Earth’s surface as of June 2014 based on Swarm data.


Earth's Magnetic Poles to Flip Any Time Soon

Fortunately, a new study has reassured us that it is very unlikely that Earth's magnetic poles will flip any time soon.

Essentially, Earth has a damaging molten core that produces a magnetic field capable of shielding this planet against devastating solar winds.

Such a protective field expands thousands of miles into space, and its magnetism impacts everything from auroras to power grids.

Over the past 180 years, a related Forbes report said, Earth's magnetic field strength has decreased by roughly 10 percent and is decreasing even faster.

South Atlantic Anomaly

The site is called the South Atlantic Anomaly, which is detailed in a NASA report and has seen satellites malfunctioning over it many times because of exposure to highly charged particles from the sun.

This has resulted in speculation that Earth is heading towards a magnetic pole flip. In their new research, the team tested whether it was the case by investigating evidence stretching back 9,000 years.

According to geologist Andreas Nilsson, a geologist at Lund University, they have mapped changes to the magnetic field of Earth over the last 9,000 years, and anomalies such as the one in the South Atlantic are potentially recurring phenomena associated with the corresponding variation in the strength of the magnetic field of Earth.

The team analyzed burnt archeological artifacts, samples, and sediment drill cores, all carrying information about the magnetic field of Earth.

The research team explained that objects would include clay pots acting like "time capsules" and carrying valuable information about the magnetic field in the past.

Hoping to Date Geological and Archeological Records

Through the use of sensitive instruments, the study authors were able to recreate both the strength and direction of the magnetic field of Earth, as well as specific times and places.

Nilsson explained they had developed a new modeling technique that links these indirect observations from different periods and locations into a single global magnetic field reconstruction for the past 9,000 years.

Reassuringly, the researchers' model suggests that the South Atlantic Anomaly will recover of its own accord and is not likely to stimulate the reversal that some have expected.

Nilsson also said, based on similarities with the recreated anomalies, they predict that the South Atlantic will perhaps disappear within the next three centuries, and the Earth "is not heading towards polarity reversal."

In the future, Nilsson's team hopes the model could be employed to date geological and archeological records by comparing both modeled and measured variation in Earth's magnetic field.

Related information about magnetic fields is shown on PBS Space Time's YouTube video below:

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