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kyphysics
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Anyone else seen lots of recent news articles on this?
Is it as scary as some portray?
Is it as scary as some portray?
It's nothing, disregard it. The flip is due to happen within maybe the next 1,000 years. Hard to say. We've had a lot of threads about it in the Earth forum. I'll move this there.kyphysics said:Anyone else seen lots of recent news articles on this?
Is it as scary as some portray?
continued...No, We're Not All Doomed by Earth's Magnetic Field Flip
A geomagnetic apocalypse may not be on the horizon, but there is some fascinating science behind the doomsday hype.
Many times over our planet’s history, Earth’s magnetic poles have reversed, meaning that sometimes a compass pointing north will be aimed at Antarctica rather than the Arctic. This might sound strange, but it’s a relatively predictable quirk. Powered by the machinations of the planet’s spinning iron core, this process of geomagnetic reversal has been doing its thing without much fanfare for eons.
That is, until this week, when a book excerpt describing the phenomenon appeared online. Shortly afterward, numerous websites began trumpeting the doomsday around the corner, a geomagnetic apocalypse in which tumors run rampant, satellites fall from the sky, and life on Earth will cease to exist as we know it.
True, life on Earth almost certainly will be different than it is today in multiple thousands of years. But will these polar acrobatics have much to do with that?
Evo said:It's nothing, disregard it. The flip is due to happen within maybe the next 1,000 years. Hard to say. We've had a lot of threads about it in the Earth forum. I'll move this there.
continued...
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/earth-magnetic-field-flip-north-south-poles-science/
G I Quids said:The magnetic field flips fairly regularly over periods of 100,000s yrs,
I can't get that page to load ... when did they say the last one or 2 flips occurred ?jim mcnamara said:Ugh. Evo is dead on. More journalism problems - mostly aimed at getting you click onto and read pages filled with ads.
Modern humans have done just fine, thank you, during recent pole flips and pole wandering. "Recent" in geology is a very long time time to us humans. Dating an archeological site using the orientation of iron's magnetic field in the remains of ancient cooking fires is based on the fact that we know when pole flips/meanders happened in the past. Google for archaeomagnetism.
http://www.museum.state.il.us/programs/archmag/ism_archaeomagnetic_laboratory_004.htm
It is very unusual to evolve specific abilities to smell essentially neutral compounds (as far as is known) that occur in minute quantities in foods. Except in the sense that we perceive the smell as really good - bread just out of the oven for example. This is construed as biochemical evidence of selection of humans for those who ate cooked foods.6-acetyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridine (1) is responsible for the biscuit or cracker-like odor present in baked goods like bread, popcorn, tortilla products. 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2) flavours aromatic varieties of cooked rice. Both compounds have odor thresholds below 0.06 ng/l
And it shouldn't affect the use of a sextant, or celestial navigation techniques.berkeman said:I guess the good news is that not many technologies use magnetic needles for North-South navigating anymore. I think GPS is mostly what is used for that now...
berkeman said:I guess the good news is that not many technologies use magnetic needles for North-South navigating anymore. I think GPS is mostly what is used for that now...
Mark Harder said:I'm still not clear about just what is going to happen. What exactly happens when the poles "flip"? Does the polar meander speed up until the magnetic poles are more-or-less reversed? .. or does the field turn off, then back on in the opposite direction? The implications for life on Earth are very different as some have pointed out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal said:Most estimates for the duration of a polarity transition are between 1,000 and 10,000 years,[10] but some estimates are as quick as a human lifetime.
Not if it takes 1000 years to flip.Charles Link said:Will the boy scouts get lost in the woods if their compasses no longer work? LOL.
I think today they all have GPS capability with their cell phones, unless they are outside an area that receives transmission.anorlunda said:Not if it takes 1000 years to flip.
Sailors have a simpler trick up their sleeve. Unless you are in the Arctic or Antarctic, and if you are lost: Just sail East or West and you must eventually find land.
Charles Link said:I think today they all have GPS capability with their cell phones, unless they are outside an area that receives transmission.
Mark Harder said:Does the polar meander speed up until the magnetic poles are more-or-less reversed?
I would deem that as pretty much impossible ... it's not like a solenoid across a battery with a switch that can be turned on and offMark Harder said:or does the field turn off, then back on in the opposite direction?
It has happened previously over the course of hundreds of thousands of years. The mechanism seems to be more readily obtained than reversing the magnetization of a permanent magnet. That requires either a very powerful external magnetic field or heating above the Curie temperature. The necessary geological processes apparently exist that can make this pole reversal occur, but I don't see it happening in our lifetime.davenn said:yes, generally accepted that they continue to wander and at some point during the flip, the N and S poles with be at the equator on opposite sides of the earthI would deem that as pretty much impossible ... it's not like a solenoid across a battery with a switch that can be turned on and off
not sure why you specifically quoted me ?Charles Link said:It has happened previously over the course of hundreds of thousands of years. The mechanism seems to be more readily obtained than reversing the magnetization of a permanent magnet. That requires either a very powerful external magnetic field or heating above the Curie temperature. The necessary geological processes apparently exist that can make this pole reversal occur, but I don't see it happening in our lifetime.
Just following the discussion. I replied to your post, and the quote was included with the reply. :)davenn said:not sure why you specifically quoted me ?
Charles Link said:Just following the discussion. I replied to your post, and the quote was included with the reply. :)
The one thing I disagreed with is the statement that the pole flip is impossible, because it has previously occurred.davenn said:sooooo ... didn't you like something in my post ?
I assume you didn't, else you wouldn't have quoted me
and there you made a BIG mistakeCharles Link said:The one thing I disagreed with is the statement that the pole flip is impossible, because it has previously occurred.
Sorry. I'm currently following several discussions on PF and I don't always read every one very carefully. As you told a very fussy astronomer the other day "lighten up". :-) :-)davenn said:and there you made a BIG mistake
you totally misread the conversation
I DIDNT say it had never occurred DUH
I was directly responding to the other posted about the field SWITCHING on and off
I don't believe it does that and have NEVER seen any text to say that it does
All text I have ever read states that the pole flips N and S swap ends over a period of timePlease be more careful before you shoot some one down with incorrect statementsDave
Charles Link said:Sorry. I'm currently following several discussions on PF and I don't always read every one very carefully.
davenn said:yes, generally accepted that they continue to wander and at some point during the flip, the N and S poles with be at the equator on opposite sides of the earth
The Earth's magnetic poles flipping refers to a phenomenon where the North and South magnetic poles switch places. This has happened several times in Earth's history and is a natural process that occurs every few hundred thousand years.
The flipping of Earth's magnetic poles can have some effects on our planet. It can cause disruptions in communication systems, such as satellites and GPS, and can also affect the migration patterns of animals that use the Earth's magnetic field for navigation.
The flipping of Earth's magnetic poles is a natural process and is not considered to be dangerous. However, it can have some minor effects on our planet, such as the ones mentioned above. It does not pose any significant threat to human life.
Scientists use various methods, such as studying the Earth's magnetic field, to determine when the poles are about to flip. They also analyze data from previous pole flips to understand the patterns and timelines of this process.
No, we cannot prevent the flipping of Earth's magnetic poles. It is a natural process that is influenced by the Earth's core and cannot be controlled by humans. However, we can prepare for any potential disruptions that may occur during this process.