🔄From the archive: It's been 780,000 years since this happened — and some scientists say that Earth's magnetic poles are long overdue for a switch.
— and, because the most recent occurred a whopping 780,000 years ago, some scientists believe we are overdue for another. But reversals are not predictable and are certainly not periodic.Researchers map out the ancient history of Earth’s magnetic field using volcanic rocks. When lava cools, the iron that it contains is magnetized in the direction of the magnetic field.
But carrying out measurements on these archeological artifacts is difficult. For one, the magnetism in ancient objects is very weak — not enough to move a compass needle. And if any objects were heated and cooled several times, several magnetic patterns will be superimposed. Lastly, their reliability is dependent on the objects remaining in the same location that the heating took place.
Juvenile loggerhead turtles dig their way out of underground nests on the beaches of Florida, enter the sea and travel far into the Atlantic Ocean . Then, after many years, they return to the same Florida beaches on which they were born. They navigate this featureless, 9,000-mile journey. When it comes to the salmon, whales, birds and other creatures that also use Earth’s magnetism to navigate, their lives would be seriously disrupted by a reversal of the magnetic field.
that mass extinctions seem to correlate with these time periods, humans or our ancestors have been on Earth for several million years. During that time there have been many reversals, and there is no obvious correlation with human development.The direct effect on mankind could be only slight, but not so for technology. We use artificial satellites for navigation, television broadcasting, weather forecasting, environmental monitoring and communication of all kinds.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
50 years ago, Earth’s chances of contacting E.T. looked slimIn 1973, a researcher calculated that it could take millions of years to contact aliens. But that hasn’t stopped scientists from trying.
Read more »
Multiple new ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies coming from Warner Bros.Twenty years later, Warner Bros. is going back to Middle-earth.
Read more »
Sneaker resale prices are falling to EarthCoveting a pair of Travis Scott Jordans or Panda Dunks? You just might be able to snag them for a reasonable price in the resale market.
Read more »
Hungover Astronaut Wakes Up In Bed With No Idea How He Made It Back To EarthATLANTA—Nursing a headache as he tried to piece together where he parked his shuttle, hungover astronaut James Caudry woke up in bed Friday with no idea how he made it back to Earth. “Ugh, the last thing I remember, I was reconnecting a satellite cable with a few buddies from the ISS, and the next thing I know I’m…
Read more »
Scientists have discovered a new core at the center of the EarthA pair of seismologists documented new evidence of a fifth layer: a 400-mile thick solid metallic ball at the center of Earth’s inner core — like the smallest figurine of a massive, planetary Russian nesting doll set.
Read more »
450-mile-wide solid metal ball forms Earth's innermost core, earthquake waves revealScientists calculated the diameter of Earth's innermost core using earthquake waves that bounced through the planet 'like ping-pong balls.'
Read more »