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Earth's Magnetic Poles Are Overdue For a Switch

Dittohead not!

Dittohead not!

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Earth's Magnetic Poles Are Overdue For a Switch


Earth's magnetic field is pretty adept at flipping polarity. The poles have swapped, reversing north and south, many times over the planet's history.
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So what, you say? Well, I said the same thing before reading the article:


The Earth's magnetic field protects the planet from solar and cosmic rays. When the poles switch, this protective shield could diminish to as little as one-tenth of its typical ability.


The switching process could take centuries, and the entire time, radiation would be able to get closer to the planet than usual.


Eventually, this radiation could reach the surface of the Earth, rendering some regions uninhabitable and causing entire species to go extinct.


Before that happened, though, a weakened magnetic field would likely impact orbiting satellites, which have suffered from memory failure and other damage when exposed to such radiation in the past.


Damage to satellites caused by decreased protection from the magnetic field could affect the satellite timing systems that control electric grids.


These grids could fail, leading to worldwide blackouts that experts predict could last for decades.
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Oh. That's so what. Are we prepared for worldwide blackouts?
 
I'm sure it's happening as part of the way the Earth works, but it will happen slowly over time.

But when Navy ships start running into each other, that will be our first clue... Do'h!!
 
I would not be so certain about any potential consequences as real results of the phenomena have never been documented by humans at the time of occurrence
 
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cuban smokes said:
I would not be so certain about any potential consequences as real results of the phenomena have never been documented by humans at the time of occurrence
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That's true. Not too many scribes writing down the results of polar shifts 40,000 years ago, and no orbiting satellites to be fried. Maybe we'll get to find out first hand if it happens soon enough.
 
Dittohead not! said:
That's true. Not too many scribes writing down the results of polar shifts 40,000 years ago, and no orbiting satellites to be fried. Maybe we'll get to find out first hand if it happens soon enough.
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I wonder if there is any scientific evidence of earthquake activity at the times of these so called (previous) shifts?
 
you will see shifts in weather patterns and other related events as well more than likely.
if more radiation does hit earth you will see a increase in temperature for sure.

of course that will drive the eco-nuts fully crazy.

other than that who knows what will happen. we don't have a lot of data.
 
cuban smokes said:
I wonder if there is any scientific evidence of earthquake activity at the times of these so called (previous) shifts?
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On what grounds do you suspect pole reversal might affect earthquake activity?

And what do you mean by "so called"? If you doubt shifts have occured come right out and say so. But try to give a better reason than earthquakes.

As for evidence they have occured, it is plentiful, although there is no evidence they have harmful affect on animal and plant life:

NASA: Magnetic Pole Reversal

(from link):
...Sediment cores taken from deep ocean floors can tell scientists about magnetic polarity shifts, providing a direct link between magnetic field activity and the fossil record. The Earth's magnetic field determines the magnetization of lava as it is laid down on the ocean floor on either side of the Mid-Atlantic Rift where the North American and European continental plates are spreading apart. As the lava solidifies, it creates a record of the orientation of past magnetic fields much like a tape recorder records sound. The last time that Earth's poles flipped in a major reversal was about 780,000 years ago, in what scientists call the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal. The fossil record shows no drastic changes in plant or animal life. Deep ocean sediment cores from this period also indicate no changes in glacial activity, based on the amount of oxygen isotopes in the cores. This is also proof that a polarity reversal would not affect the rotation axis of Earth, as the planet's rotation axis tilt has a significant effect on climate and glaciation and any change would be evident in the glacial record.

Another doomsday hypothesis about a geomagnetic flip plays up fears about incoming solar activity. This suggestion mistakenly assumes that a pole reversal would momentarily leave Earth without the magnetic field that protects us from solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun. But, while Earth's magnetic field can indeed weaken and strengthen over time, there is no indication that it has ever disappeared completely. A weaker field would certainly lead to a small increase in solar radiation on Earth – as well as a beautiful display of aurora at lower latitudes - but nothing deadly. Moreover, even with a weakened magnetic field, Earth's thick atmosphere also offers protection against the sun's incoming particles.

...The science shows that magnetic pole reversal is – in terms of geologic time scales – a common occurrence that happens gradually over millennia. While the conditions that cause polarity reversals are not entirely predictable – the north pole's movement could subtly change direction, for instance – there is nothing in the millions of years of geologic record to suggest that any of the... doomsday scenarios connected to a pole reversal should be taken seriously...
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Wasnt there a movie made about this in which they go under the earth and blow up some bombs to righten it again? They should do that. :2razz:
 
PoS said:
Wasnt there a movie made about this in which they go under the earth and blow up some bombs to righten it again? They should do that. :2razz:
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Naw that was about the core cooling and they needed it restarted.. It was called The Core, and had Aaron Eckhart and a young Hilary Swank in the movie.
 
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