In recent years, more and more often you can find materials devoted to the threat of a change in the Earth's magnetic poles. Some authors even predict that as a result of this process there will be an instant destruction of our planet and the death of all life on it. What can we expect in reality?
Everyone knows that in the hemisphere to the north of the magnetic equator (which does not coincide with the geographic one), the “northern” end of the compass needle deviates downward, in the southern - vice versa. At the magnetic equator, the magnetic field lines are parallel to the Earth's surface. Although European navigators have been using the compass since the 12th century, for the first time science has shown the presence of a special phenomenon that needs explanation at the end of the 16th century.
The assumption about the existence of the Earth's magnetic field, which causes such behavior of magnetized objects, was expressed by the English physician William Hilbert in 1600 in his book "On the Magnet". He described an experiment with a ball of magnetic ore and a small iron arrow. Hilbert concluded that the entire Earth is a huge magnet.
The famous traveler Christopher Columbus discovered that the magnetic declination does not remain constant, but undergoes changes as geographic coordinates change. Columbus's discovery gave impetus to new research: navigators needed accurate information about the magnetic field. The Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, in his report "Discourse on the Great Accuracy of the Sea Route" (1759), gave a number of valuable tips to increase the accuracy of compass readings. In particular, for the study of terrestrial magnetism, he recommended organizing a network of permanent points (observatories). The idea was realized only sixty years later.
In 1831, English explorer John Ross discovered the magnetic north pole, the region where the magnetic needle is vertical. In 1841, James Ross, nephew of John Ross, reached the earth's south magnetic pole in Antarctica.
At the same time, Karl Gauss put forward a theory of the origin of the Earth's magnetic field and in 1839 proved that its main part "comes out of the Earth", and the reason for the short deviations of the field values must be sought in the external environment.
Today we know that the Earth's magnetic field is induced by currents in the liquid metal core, and any planet with the same core has its own magnetic field. Although the natural mechanism of field generation has not yet been fully elucidated, it has long been established that it serves as a powerful protection against cosmic radiation, capturing high-energy charged particles coming from the Sun. Therefore, our well-being actually directly depends on the field strength, and there is reason to believe that it is weakening.
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Pole change
The magnetic pole shift was first discovered in 1885; the process has been monitored ever since. Over a century, the magnetic south pole has moved nearly 900 kilometers. The latest data on the state of the North Magnetic Pole (it is moving towards the East Siberian Magnetic Anomaly across the Arctic Ocean) showed that from 1973 to 1984 the "mileage" was 120 kilometers, and from 1984 to 1994 - more than 150 kilometers. At the same time, the intensity of the geomagnetic field also decreases: over the past twenty years, it has decreased by an average of 1.7%, and in some regions - for example, in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean - by 10%. In other places, the field strength, contrary to the general trend, increased.
All these strange phenomena made scientists say that, it seems, should wait for the moment of "inversion", when the geomagnetic poles will change places. The idea that this is quite possible arose in 1920, when the Japanese geophysicist Motonori Matuyama noticed that some volcanic rocks are magnetized in the opposite direction to the Earth's field. In the 1950s, when continental drift was actively studied, it was found that the poles changed places more than once: at least once every million years. In 1959, American scientists Allan Cox and Richard Doell compiled a scale of "inversions", which was replenished using data obtained from studying metal inclusions in cores taken from the ocean floor. The scale includes 83 million years, 184 "inversions" are marked on it, and they are distributed extremely unevenly. Older deposits have been studied less well, but the presence of "inversions" can be traced back 250 million years ago. The last known case occurred about 780 thousand years ago, that is, before our biological species was finally formed.
American experts from Johns Hopkins University suggest that during periods of "inversions" the Earth's magnetosphere weakened so much that cosmic radiation reached the planet's surface, harming living organisms, and the next change of poles could lead to more serious consequences, since the technosphere is now under threat on which our civilization depends.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict when exactly the "inversion" will occur, because the process is chaotic. A very definite date appears in the press - 2021. However, the supporters of the hypothesis of a close "inversion" do not bother to support the forecast with any evidence. As for the specialists, they believe that this process can stretch over an entire epoch: from two to ten thousand years. Only once, about 15 million years ago, the “inversion” took not millennia, but a few years. But there is no reason to say that we will get the same case.
End of the world or?
Terrible predictions about a global catastrophe that awaits us during the period of "inversion" are obviously connected with the fact that the profane confuse geographic poles with magnetic ones. It is clear that the geographical "overlap" will lead to innumerable disasters, however, we are still talking about the magnetic poles, so there is no need to expect an apocalyptic scenario.
Yet "inversion" is a threat. Scientists are considering several options for the consequences. One option is the temporary disappearance of the geomagnetic field, which will lead to the bombardment of the planet with high-energy cosmic particles, which will lead to an increase in the overall background radiation. The second option is blowing off part of the atmosphere under the influence of the "solar wind", which will provoke a change in its gas composition and climatic cataclysms. The third option - "inversion" indicates deep processes in the core, and any changes in the depths of our planet always result in a significant increase in volcanic activity.
Since any of these options is dangerous for the biosphere, scientists have tried to link the mass extinctions of animals with "inversions". However, it was not possible to identify any correlation, therefore, most likely, nothing fatal will happen in our case.
How will it look like? People will hardly notice the difference, only the arrows of the compasses will begin to point not to the north, but to the south. Some animals can literally get lost in space, because certain species, from whales and turtles to frogs and birds, migrate, guided by magnetic fields, which means they will find themselves in a difficult situation. Although, for example, the same turtles appeared on our planet a very long time ago, even before the dinosaurs, and managed to survive all the cataclysms. It is unlikely that the next change of magnetic poles can lead them to extinction.
The inevitable weakening of the magnetic field will disrupt the operation of delicate electronic devices, so engineers should consider increasing the noise immunity. Summer holidays on sunny beaches will also have to be abandoned for a while, because the bombardment with charged particles does not improve health. In addition, the ozone "holes" may expand.
Nevertheless, rumors about the imminent "end of the world" due to the "inversion" of the geomagnetic poles are greatly exaggerated. Humanity, as we know, is capable of dealing with much more serious problems. Cope this time too.