the earth's magnetic field, which protects us from bombardment of cosmic radiation, changes constantly, and the magnetic poles of our planet are moving away from the geographic poles. In the extreme case, a polarity inversion: The magnetic North pole becomes the South pole and Vice versa. The magnetic poles wander on the fastest when you are very far away from the geographic poles.

At the same time, the earth's magnetic field changes its direction. This process runs at a different pace. This has been demonstrated by geologists for a global reversal of the magnetic field in front of 41,000 years. A Phase in which the field is shifted by about 2.5 degrees per year, and along the Central American West coast is significantly weakened, followed about 2,000 years later. Visa secured?

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earth's magnetic field can change by up to a hundred Times faster than thought

Now a study, published in the journal Nature Communications shows that can speed up this change dramatically. The authors of the geophysicist Christopher Davies from the UK's University of Leeds combined geological data with a computer model that simulates the formation process of the field and the last 100,000 years covers.

The result: The earth's magnetic field can change up to a hundred Times faster than previously thought, by up to ten degrees per year. Currently, the Change is 0.1 degrees. From the samples of magnetic rocks had emerged as a rapideste Change yet a degree per year.

Generally speaking, the magnetic poles wander due to currents in the outer core, which begins an average of 2900 kilometers under the surface and in a depth of 5150 kilometres, extends. The core consists mostly of molten iron. Hot Magma rises in the mantle, from where it is cooled and sinks again into the deep. At the same time, the core of what makes him a "Geodynamo" is rotated. Since the overlapping movements of the field that changes dynamically is created in the the earth current and thus a magnetic. It serves as a protective shield for the life, as well as our technical civilization, because it holds in addition to the cosmic radiation, the solar wind, as well as the radiation surges caused by solar flares.

"The fastest change of direction in low Latitudes instead of"

The Simulation of Davies and his colleagues are the possible causes of the rapid changes of direction of the field indicated. Apparently, they are associated with areas of liquid iron in the earth's core, which move inversely to the flow of the rest of the metal. "Our results show that such Changes are compatible with the physics of the Dynamo process," the study authors write. "The fastest change of direction takes place preferably in the low Latitudes, where the earth's magnetic field is weaker." Therefore, if in the future there looking for field changes.

To fit a satellite of the European space Agency (Esa) - supplied data. They show that the earth's magnetic field is weakening, in a vast area stretching from Africa to South America, gradually. According to the Esa, these so-called South Atlantic anomaly is not a cause for concern. However, they can lead to technical problems with satellites or space shuttles that fly over the area, because charged particles can penetrate to their orbits.

at the same time, the anomaly spread and moves with a speed of about 20 kilometers per year to the West. In addition, southwest was originated from Africa, a second centre with reduced magnetic intensity. This suggests, according to Esa, the fact that the anomaly could be split into two separate cells. "Your new, Eastern Minimum has emerged in the past ten years and has developed strongly in recent years," says the geophysicist, Jürgen Matzka from the German research centre for Geosciences. "The challenge now is to understand the processes in the earth's core is to drive these changes forward."

observations inspire the speculation, whether the pole shift is imminent

in addition, the earth's magnetic field weakened the Esa data, in the past two centuries in the Mediterranean by around nine percent, although the decline in the area of South Atlantic anomaly was particularly strong: the minimum field fell strength since 1970, from about 24,000 Nanotesla to 22,000 nano-Tesla (Tesla is the unit for the flux density of magnetic fields).

These observations inspire the speculation, whether the earth is at another pole shift. In fact, the earth has already lived many pole shifts, how geologists found out. In the past, the field is reversed at intervals of 200,000 to 300,000 years. Most recently, this occurred prior to 780,000 years ago – and the next pole shift is therefore more than overdue.

The box on the reverse prior to 41,000 years ago, counts only partially, because they lasted less than 1000 years. The early man had possessed a compass, it would have shown the needle to the South. As a further indication of the current migration of the magnetic North pole could apply. In fact, the point at which the field lines of the earth's magnetic field running vertically in the earth is changing rapidly its Position. At the beginning of the 20th century. Century he moved with 16 kilometers per year in the direction of North-North-West. In the 1990s, its pace accelerated to 55 kilometers per year, today there are 48 kilometres.

What is the Pole reversal for the earth

it is Currently four degrees South from the geographic North pole in the middle of the polar sea. "He comes from a more from a geographical Pole is the remote location and this is now very close," explains the geophysicist Arnaud Chulliat of the University of Colorado at Boulder in the science portal "LiveScience". "He moves further in this direction, he will pull on the geographical Pole over and again from him, but on the other, namely, the Russian side of the earth."

The rapid migration has consequences. Because they changed the so-called world magnetic model (WMM) support, with the scientists the earth's magnetic field to render as precise as possible. Of these, only the Navigation by magnetic does not depend on the compass, but also the correct functioning of telephone networks and global positioning systems (GPS). The latter are used by military and space organizations, but also from the air lines, shipping companies, rescue services, as well as in forestry and agriculture.

Also, cartographers, telephone operators and manufacturers of electronic devices use of the WMM-derived data. In mobile phone operating systems, for example, are you of the compass deviations, to correct the display. In order to keep the model up to date, it is updated in intervals. This was last of 2015, the next Update had planned scientists for 2020. However, the accelerated Polwanderung made a dash through the bill. Therefore, they decided to update the WMM with a preliminary Version that applies to the regular Update. Each week provides you FOCUS Online with the most important news from the knowledge Department. Here you can subscribe to the Newsletter.

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Curiously wanders to the South magnetic pole is not in a comparable way. According to the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, he moved away at around 15 kilometers per year, from the geographic South pole, and since the 1990s, relatively stable prior to the East Antarctic plateau in the Arctic ocean. In the normal case, the earth's magnetic field has two poles. But apparently, it comes in intervals of disturbance in the Geodynamo. They destabilize the field. It is weaker, at the same time, additional magnetic poles are formed. May be due to the magnetic North pole is currently running such a Phase.

In a study of the geophysicist Phil Livermore of the UK's University of Leeds reported that behind the phenomenon is probably due to two magnetic field spots are in Siberia and Canada. They arise through a 420-kilometre-wide horizontal stream of liquid iron, the Livermore two years ago, in 3000 km depth discovered. It flows with a good 40 kilometers per year between Canada and Russia in the direction of Europe – that is three Times faster than the Material is moving in the outer core usually.

The patch had a kind of tug-of-war to the magnetic North pole. Apparently, the canadian spot weakens just. "Therefore, the Siberian spot wins the competition," said Livermore of the scientific journal "Nature".

There is no evidence that the local changes in the Arctic are signs for larger events, Livermore more. However, quite out of the question that a new pole shift does not appear. Because the magma flows in the earth's interior behave unpredictably, sometimes even outright jumps. It can go so fast with a reverse polarity.

This confirms a previous study in which geologists in the U.S. state of Oregon in the old lava flows found traces that indicate a rotation of the magnetic field to six degrees per day. At this rate, the reversal lasts only a month. Then our tech would have engineered the world to be a big problem. Because for a corresponding update of the WMM such a pole shift would in any case quickly. Only every 5000 to 7000 years: comet "Neowise" to see to see in the night sky PCP Only every 5000 to 7000 years: comet "Neowise" now in the night sky

Date Of Update: 15 July 2020, 13:26