Title : Earth's Magnetic Field Could Flip in Our Lifetime
link : Earth's Magnetic Field Could Flip in Our Lifetime
Earth's Magnetic Field Could Flip in Our Lifetime
by Kelly DickersonLive Science
A pilot looks down at the controls of aircraft and perform magnetic north is floating somewhere over Antarctica it may sound like a scene from a science fiction movie, but new research suggests that the idea is not so far-fetched in the relatively near future.
a change of the magnetic field is old news. around 800,000 years ago, the magnetic north was moving over Antarctica and reindeer lived in the magnetic south. The poles have flipped several times throughout Earth's history. Scientists have estimated that a flip cycle begins with the weakening of the magnetic field in the space of a few thousand years, then pull the poles and field jumps back to strength again. However, a new study shows that the last time the poles of the Earth turns around, only it took 100 years for the reversal happen.
Earth's magnetic poles could turn around sooner than originally planned. - Credit: UC Berkeley The magnetic field of the Earth is in a stage of weakness at this time. The data collected this summer by a satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA) suggests field is weakening to 10 times faster scientists thought at first. They predicted a tug could arrive within the next two thousand years. It could be a very liberal estimate, scientists now say. [ Infographic: Explore Top Earth's atmosphere down ]
"We do not know whether the next reversal will occur as suddenly as this [previous] did, but also do not know that there be like that, "Paul Renne, director of Geochronology Center at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement .
geologists are not sure what causes the magnetic field planet to flip direction. iron core of the Earth acts like a giant magnet and generates the magnetic field engulfing the planet. This helps protect against bursts of radiation that erupt from the sun and sometimes are thrown towards Earth. A weakening magnetic field could disrupt the electrical and radio communication networks and off the planet unusually high radiation levels.
While the ESA satellite studied the magnetic field from above, Renne and a team of researchers studied from below. Researchers dug through ancient lake sediments exposed at the base of the Apennine Mountains in Italy. the layers of ash from volcanic eruptions long ago are mixed in the sediment. The ash is made sensitive to magnetic fields that contain traces of the magnetic field lines of the Earth, and researchers were able to measure the direction of the field was pointing minerals.
Renne and his colleagues used a technique called argon-argon dating - it works because radioactive potassium-40 decays into argon-40 at a known rate - to determine the age of the sediment rock. The layers built up over a period of 10,000 years, researchers were able to pinpoint where the poles flipped in the rock layers. The last flip occurred around 786,000 years ago.
sudden exchange
The layers of sediment also showed that the magnetic field was unstable for about 6,000 years before the abrupt flip-flop . The period of instability included two low points in the field strength, each of which lasted about 2,000 years.
Geologists do not know where the magnetic field is now within that period of time or if this reversal flip even follow the same pattern as the previous one. The conclusion is that no one is certain when it comes.
"Do not really know whether the next reversal will resemble the last, so it is impossible to say whether we are just seeing the first of possibly several excursions ( mild) movement, or a real investment, "Renne said Vivo science in an email.
magnetic day of final judgment?
While a shift could cause technical problems, there is no need to panic. Scientists have combed the geologic time scale disaster for any evidence that might be related to a magnetic reversal. They have not found any.
The only damage that a change could cause interference in the global power grid. There is no direct evidence that remains of past disasters triggered by a magnetic reversal.
However, if the magnetic field enough or temporarily weakens disappears during launch, then the Earth could be hit with dangerous amounts solar radiation and cosmic rays. Exposure could mean that more people develop cancer, Renne said, although there is no scientific proof that this could happen.
Renne said more research to understand the possible consequences of a changing magnetic pole is needed.
the new study will be published in the November issue of the journal Geophysical journal International.
Follow Kelly Dickerson Twitter . Follow @livescience Facebook and Google+ . Original article in Live Science .
"Earth's Magnetic Field Could Flip in Our Lifetime", article source: riseearth.com
Thanks for Reading Earth's Magnetic Field Could Flip in Our Lifetime
Thank you for reading this Earth's Magnetic Field Could Flip in Our Lifetime, hopefully can give benefits to all of you. well, see you in posting other articles.
You are now reading the article Earth's Magnetic Field Could Flip in Our Lifetime Url Address https://healthnbeautyarticles.blogspot.com/2014/10/earth-magnetic-field-could-flip-in-our.html
0 Response to "Earth's Magnetic Field Could Flip in Our Lifetime"
Post a Comment