Guest �strophysicist Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Magnetism is something we are all familiar with. Its seemingly magical ability to attract and repel delights and baffles. But this mysterious force is not just a curiousity. Magnetism, a close relative of electricity, lies at the heart of most modern technology. Everything from power stations to the computer you are on now. And in fact the Earth is a giant magnet. The magnetic field is created deep in the Earth's core. It streams out near the south pole. Loops around the planet, and then runs back into the core near the north pole. This is the Earth's protective shield. Without it we'd be in trouble. The Earth's magnetic field protects us from space weather. Space weather is nasty, the winds that blow through the galaxy are winds of radiation. Worst of which are from distant dying stars. The sun itself is a thermonuclear furnace. Every few hours the sun ejects billions of tons of electrified particles. The solar wind. Often, Earth lies directly in the path of this onslaught. But magnetism deflects charged particles. This means that the solar wind is unable to penetrate the Earth's magnetic field. So the solar wind passes harmlessly around the planet. The only visible signs of this drama far above our heads are the northern and southern lights. But what if the magnetic field were to disappear all together? Mars has lost its magnetic field and its atmosphere is thought to have been blown off by the solar winds. Now to the point: Recent proof of a magnetic flip has begun to surface. Which means the poles are begining to flip. The flip itself will take over 100 years to complete. During that time, we will be open to solar winds. The Northern lights would be visible in places where you wouldn't expect. Imagine an Aurora over Australia, Texas, or even over the equator!!! This phenomenon will not happen for a while, at least not in our lifetimes. We have proof that this has happened before!!! Quote from Wikipedia, because my fingers are tired: "Over very long periods, geomagnetic reversals seems to have occurred with a frequency of 1 to 5 events per million years; however, this duration is highly variable. During some periods of geologic time (e.g. Cretaceous long normal), the Earth's magnetic field is observed to maintain a single orientation for tens of millions of years. Other events seem to have occurred very rapidly, with more than one reversal in 50,000 years. The last reversal was the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal approximately 780,000 years ago." Magnetite, a mineral with a natural magnetism, has been observed through old lava samples and it indicates the poles have flipped in the past and we are overdue for another one! This is more of a disscusion than a debate, but what do you believe will happen to Humanity if the poles flip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie_Penguin Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 I think there will be chaos, but I'm sure that by then we will have the technology to do something about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeptroid Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Yeah, I believe by the time of a hundred years or so, we may have some kind of technology that will help control the phenomenon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest �strophysicist Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 The core is 2,000 miles beneath our feet, throughout the course of human history we have only dug down around 7 miles. We will not be able to do anything about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie_Penguin Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 they can try...haha this reminded of the movie "The Core". Nothing is impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeptroid Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 The core is 2,000 miles beneath our feet, throughout the course of human history we have only dug down around 7 miles. We will not be able to do anything about it. Very true that is, but you know, technology can greatly advance over periods of time. We could have some kind of indestructable material that can withstand almost any temperature of heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest �strophysicist Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 We have something like that, it is a mineral called diamond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeptroid Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Well, I guess we will have to wait and see. Not that I will live to one hundred twelve or anything. :whistle: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie_Penguin Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 You know, we might not even make it another 100 years...and since scientists already know about this, they're probably trying to come up with an idea for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudedsunny Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 So the magnetic pole...does this only exist as a point where the compass just wildly flips? I mean, as it moves...does it matter WHERE it is, does the field (I'm imagining it as a literal pole through the earth here) just rotate, and pass through the earth like twisting a straw in a glass of water? OR Does it RETRACT into the earth, and emerge somewhere else, thus taking away the shields you mentioned and only replacing them when it comes back out? (heh, can you tell I know NOTHING about this subject?! :laughingsmiley: ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest �strophysicist Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 The flip first starts with the magnetic field weakening, which is happening now at an alarming rate. The poles will begin to fall apart and your compass will turn in circles, never pointing north again. The field will still shield us, but not nearly enough to keep out harmfull rays. Think of the poles as water and oil, they can not fuse together so they stay apart. But when they become too stirred up they could change sides. When it is all done, your compass will point south, instead of north. You did bring up a good point about the compass effect... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts