Magnetic Earth

Philosophy Forums Science, Technology, and Math
1

I recently saw an interesting documentary or the Earth’s magnetic field.

Scientists have been measuring a sharp decline in the Earth’s magnetic field and speculations abound.

It seems that every 100,000 years or so the earth’s field flips and this event is preceded by a sharp decline in its intensity, followed by a period of magnetic chaos.

This means that the earth’s polarity will reverse; making our compasses point South instead of North and during this period of magnetic decline we will be exposed to more solar radiation.

Has anyone heard of this?

2

No, but if we examine the law of change, this is very possible as everything is subject to change. Maybe this is what happened when the dinosaurs became extinct long ago. Does it mean man will be next? When magnetic wave around earth is disturbed then there is chaos, bodies of water will rise and flood us, plants die, animals die, then people will become extinct. this is scary.
Maybe we can delay this change. How?
People don’t pay attention to our planet. It is very ill.

3

Satyr,

I have.

I’ve been looking to it extensively.

4

Yes, the Earth’s magnetic field reverses periodically. It is disturbing to realize that conditions on Earth can be so fickle. But since it involves the fluid flow of Earth’s molten iron core, it is unlikely to happen suddenly or very soon. Unless I’m wrong, in which case it will. I wonder how migratory animals with magnetic sense would adjust to a sudden reversal.

5

Scientists claim that we are overdue for a reversal.
Could this have any connection to the current global warming trends?

Perhaps we can see this planetary phenomenon as the Earth ….scratching itself and trying to get rid of the parasites that populate her skin.

6

This has been extensively discussed within the past couple days. Here, in fact.

7

Do you have any links about this? It sounds interesting…

8

Like I said in the thread I linked, the articles I read are in print mags. Perhaps they’re available online but you probably have to subscribe. Perhaps Google will unearth some info.

9

Here’s a link to a nice national geographic article that provides a pretty general overview.

news.nationalgeographic.com/news … field.html

10

I have to say that I’ve been reading about this since I was a kid, that and the hollow Earth concept :confused:

Rest easy.

11

I mentioned it to my modern physics professor today, and we chatted about it for a bit. He said he had heard some study that said during the time when Earth has zero magnetic field, there will probably be an extra 100,000 or so deaths per year from cancer, but nothing much more catastrophic than that.

12

I’m sure that some company is selling lead living room paneling as we speak.

13

probably true. Still, 100,000 deaths per year due to cancer… sort of an insignificant fraction next to the number of cancer deaths per year related to cigarette smoking.

14

Smoking is more fun though.

15

Not for everyone else.

16

So many ways to die…so few ways to live.

17

So, now getting blasted by cosmic rays is better than a cigar?

What about transfat =P~

18

Right, and even more ways to make a buck off of fear.

19

Isn’t that a false dichotomy- I must either choke on your smoke (I am strongly allergic) or be burned by radiation?! :astonished: I’ll pass on both, thanks.

I’ll pass on the transfats, too. That stuff’ll kill ya. :slight_smile:

20

None of it will kill you if you die in a car accident, and that’s my point.