The Fast Flip of the Earth's Magnetic Field
The Earth's magnetic field may flip soon and quicker than had been imagined.
The Earth's magnetic field flips once in a while - the magnetic North and South poles switch positions. The mechanism that makes this happen is not well understood, but it is driven by convection in the Earth's iron core. The last time this happened was 786,000 years ago. But a new study, by Courtney Sprain, a PhD student in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California Berkeley, and colleagues, has found that the actual flip may occur within about one hundred years, much faster than previously thought. This estimate was based on measurements of the magnetic field alignment retained in layers of ancient lake sediment and volcanic ash now exposed in the Sulmona basin in Italy. The current strength of the Earth's magnetic field is starting to weaken, which may be an indication that we are in the very early stages of the next flip.
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