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Radiation mayhem if Earth's poles flip
The North Pole is on the move. Scientists have found
large holes appearing in the Earth's magnetic field, suggesting the north and
south poles are preparing to reverse positions in a magnetic flip. The holes lie over the south Atlantic and the Arctic. The changes were
revealed after detailed data from the Danish Orsted satellite was analysed.
Results were compared with data from earlier satellites.
The speed of the change has surprised scientists. Nils Olsen, of the Centre
for Planetary Science in Denmark, one of several centres analysing the data,
said the Earth's core appeared to be undergoing dramatic changes. He added:
"This could be the state in which the Earth's geodynamo operates before
reversing."
The geodynamo is the way the magnetic field is generated: by currents of
molten iron flowing around a solid core. Sometimes giant vortices form in the
liquid metal and they can change or even reverse the magnetic fields above them.
Olsen's team believes vortices have formed beneath the North Pole and south
Atlantic. If they become powerful enough they could reverse all the other
currents, causing the north and south poles to switch places. Andy Jackson, a specialist in geomagnetism at Leeds University, said a change
was long overdue: "Such flips normally happen every 500,000 years, but it
has been 750,000 years since the last one."
The change could affect humans and wildlife.
The magnetosphere gives vital protection against searing solar radiation that
would otherwise sterilise Earth.
Although the magnetic field would probably not disappear altogether, it may
weaken while the poles switch. The resulting surge in radiation could cause
cancers, reduce crops and confuse migrating animals, including whales and
pigeons. The article above indicates that upheavals within the Earth's core are
causing anomalies in the magnetic field surrounding the planet. The assumption
is that the magnetic poles are about to flip. But these changes in the magnetic
field surrounding the Earth reflect changes in mass and the flow of electrified
magma convection currents that circulate between the Earth's core and the
surface of the planet. The changes in the magnetic field of the planet are
symptomatic of the resulting changes to the electrical properties that project
the magnetic field about the planet. As such, these are the first indications of
an impending geophysical pole shift and not simply a geomagnetic pole shift as
the article above speculates. These shifts in mass within the planet are
altering the weight distribution within the spinning Earth. When these become
great enough as to offset rotational balance, a geophysical pole shift will
result. Geomagnetic anomalies are therefore the first symptoms of an impending
geophysical pole shift. |
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Copyright © 2010
Tim Stouse
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