A reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles could happen sooner than we think, according to Dutch scientists who report that the planet’s magnetic field is becoming gradually less stable. A reversal could affect everything from navigation and communications equipment to the composition of the atmosphere, say experts.
The report, published today in the U.K. journal Nature Geoscience, found that reversals have been far more common in the last 200 million years than they were deep in the planet’s history. Researchers, led by Andrew Biggin of the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, made the discovery by analysing rocks formed between 2.45 to 2.82 billion years ago.
The story of the Earth’s magnetic field is written in rocks over time. Because these rocks become ‘magnetised’ at the time of their formation, scientists can discover which direction the poles were facing and how strong the Earth’s magnetic field was at that time. More
Sphere: Related Content