Currently, according to the last year’s ESA measurements, the magnetic field of the Earth is weakening. Just recently, the scientists studied the South Atlantic Anomaly which is a weak magnetic field portion that covers the area from Zimbabwe to Chile. Will the magnetic pole shift occur soon?
Very strong radiations are present within the South Atlantic Anomaly
Within the South Atlantic Anomaly, there are present some very strong radiations that can fry the electronic systems of the satellites that fly through the Anomaly.
“We’ve known for quite some time that the magnetic field has been changing, but we didn’t really know if this was unusual for this region on a longer timescale, or whether it was normal,” explained Vincent Hare, a physicist at the University of Rochester, in New York.
“We were looking for the recurrent behavior of anomalies because we think that’s what is happening today and causing the South Atlantic Anomaly. We found evidence that these anomalies have happened in the past, and this helps us contextualize the current changes in the magnetic field,” explained John Tarduno, one of the geophysicists involved in the research.
Will the magnetic pole shift occur soon?
The data gathered during the summer of the ESA’s Swarm Satellite System indicate that this magnetic field is weakening 10 times faster than initially thought. If the loss of intensity would have occurred slower, the prediction of magnetic pole inversion would have remained valid for several thousand years but according to the new measurements, the poles might flip really soon.
Geologists still do not know why the magnetic poles of the Earth are reversing but they know that this is a recurrent event that occurs once every 300,000 years, on average. However, the last magnetic pole shift has happened for the last time with about 800,000 years ago.
The reversal of magnetic pole could produce a series of technical inconvenience, but it is not a reason to panic since it will not be life-threatening.
The recent study on the South Atlantic Anomaly concluded that what is now observable in the magnetic field over Africa is linked to the Earth core’s movements. According to the researchers, a magnetic pole shift could happen anytime soon.
