The most dangerous of possible disasters on a planetary scale is inversion, that is, a change in polarity, of the Earth's magnetic field. At the moment of inversion, its tension weakens, leaving people defenseless against solar radiation. According to Academician Evgeny Shemyakin and Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Sergei Tsygankov, published in the journal Vestnik RAN, humanity has the only opportunity to escape - to build giant underground shelters.
According to geological data, magnetic field inversion has occurred four times over the past 4.5 million years.
At the moment of field inversion, its intensity weakens by 5-10 times, but even a less noticeable change negatively affects the life and safety of the Earth, since the fraction of cosmic radiation reaching the planet's surface is equivalent to a decrease in the intensity of the geomagnetic field. According to various services, powerful magnetic storms cause a surge in the frequency of heart attacks, an increase in the number of accidents on power lines, in television, radio and satellite communication systems. What can we say about larger-scale changes.
According to observatory observations, the Earth's magnetic field has weakened by almost 10-15% over the past 170 years, and the rate of this process is increasing. From 1980 to 2000, new areas of the reverse magnetic field formed, in particular, under the eastern coast of North America and the Arctic. The formation of areas with a different polarity can be considered the first signals of a possible global polarity reversal.
Mankind is unable to stop this process. E. Shemyakin and S. Tsygankov consider it necessary to develop a scientific forecast of the formation process, changes and inversion of the magnetic field, as well as to create a system for protecting humanity from a disaster unprecedented in its history. Modern technical capabilities do not allow creating a protective shield equivalent to the geomagnetic field, so it remains to hide behind the outer hard shell of the Earth. A layer of rocks of several meters does not transmit practically any of the dangerous types of radiation. According to the researchers, the use of underground space will give a chance to survive during the field inversion, which will last several thousand years.
The use of underground space for security purposes opens up a new approach to the problem of its development - not only as a source of raw materials, but also as a habitat that is the only one capable of protecting earthlings. The task of transferring a significant part of the population and production underground for thousands of years has not yet risen before mankind, it has no practical or theoretical solution. However, circumstances of irresistible force force us to urgently turn the Earth into a man-made spacecraft. This assumes an unprecedented volume of work in terms of labor intensity and cost. Therefore, although the inversion, according to some estimates, will not come earlier than in a thousand years, it is necessary to start preparing this ambitious project today.