Scientists at the University of Rochester (USA) have come to the conclusion that changes in the strength of the magnetic field observed in the area of the South Atlantic anomaly may portend an imminent reversal of the Earth's magnetic poles. This was announced in a press release on EurekAlert !.
The South Atlantic Anomaly extends from South America to southern Africa. In this area, the magnetic field is strongly weakened and at sea level is equal to at an altitude of 1 thousand kilometers outside the anomalies. Researchers have found that over the past 160 years, the planet's magnetic field in the region has decreased its strength at an alarming rate.
Scientists analyzed samples of baked clay in the Limpopo River Valley, which flows through South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. During the Iron Age (from 1200 BC to 340 AD), the ancient Bantu tribes lived in this area, who burned clay at high temperatures. In this case, the direction of the crystals sensitive to the magnetic field is fixed.
It turned out that in the region of the South Atlantic anomaly there were changes in the strength of the magnetic field in 400-450, in 700-770 and in 1225-1550 AD. According to the researchers, such fluctuations indicate that this region affects the entire magnetosphere of the Earth.