Earth's magnetic field is weakening 10 times faster than previously thought,

[Ichingcarpenter]

Earth's magnetic north and south poles have flip-flopped many times in our planet's history—most recently, around 780,000 years ago. Geophysicists who study the magnetic field have long thought that the poles may be getting ready to switch again, and based on new data, it might happen earlier than anyone anticipated.

The European Space Agency's satellite array dubbed “Swarm” revealed that Earth's magnetic field is weakening 10 times faster than previously thought, decreasing in strength about 5 percent a decade rather than 5 percent a century. A weakening magnetic field may indicate an impending reversal, which scientists predict could begin in less than 2,000 years. Magnetic north itself appears to be moving toward Siberia.

Geophysicists do not yet fully understand the process of geomagnetic reversals, but they agree that our planet's field is like a dipole magnet. Earth's center consists of an inner core of solid iron and an outer core of liquid iron, a strong electrical conductor. The liquid iron in the outer core is buoyant, and as it heats near the inner core, it rises, cools off and then sinks. Earth's rotation twists this moving iron liquid and generates a self-perpetuating magnetic field with north and south poles.


more: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-s-impending-magnetic-flip/

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. The Laschamp event

The Laschamp event was a short reversal of the Earth's magnetic field. It occurred 41,400 (±2,000) years ago during the last ice age and was first recognised, in the late 1960s, as a geomagnetic reversal recorded in the Laschamp lava flows in the Clermont-Ferrand district of France.[1] The magnetic excursion has since been demonstrated in geological archives from many parts of the world. The period of reversed magnetic field was ~440 years, with the transition from the normal field lasting ~250 years. The reversed field was 75% weaker whereas the strength dropped to only 5% of the current strength during the transition. This resulted in greater radiation reaching the Earth, causing greater production of beryllium 10 and higher levels of carbon 14.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laschamp_event


What is remarkable is the speed of the reversal: "The field geometry of reversed polarity, with field lines pointing into the opposite direction when compared to today's configuration, lasted for only about 440 years, and it was associated with a field strength that was only one quarter of today's field," explains Norbert Nowaczyk. "The actual polarity changes lasted only 250 years. In terms of geological time scales, that is very fast." During this period, the field was even weaker, with only 5% of today's field strength. As a consequence, the Earth nearly completely lost its protection shield against hard cosmic rays, leading to a significantly increased radiation exposure.
This is documented by peaks of radioactive beryllium (10Be) in ice cores from this time, recovered from the Greenland ice sheet. 10Be as well as radioactive carbon (14C) is caused by the collision of high-energy protons from space with atoms of the atmosphere.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-10-extremely-reversal-geomagnetic-field-climate.html#jCp

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. Neanderthals died out about this time 40,000 years ago

In August 2014, a team reported on a new analysis of 40 sites in western Europe, concluding that Neanderthals died out about 40,000 years ago.[1] This date, much earlier than previous estimates, was established through improved radio carbon dating methods.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal_extinction

Who had the good caves?

[liberal N proud]

2. Does that mean that toilets will flush in the opposite direction?

[JHB]

3. If you eat nails for breakfast and poop iron filings, they might.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Coriolis effect is purely wind

So maybe farts, the mighty wind, rotate in opposite directions but not drains.

[JHB]

9. If I'm going to make a suggestion not bound by the chemistry of the human digestive system...

...I'm certainly not going to let it be governed by physics either!

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

4. It's worse than that

Your toilets will turn into bidets. However, instead of a stream that washes your tush, all the water shoots up at once. If you're still sitting down when you 'flush', you had better clench so as to prevent an unwanted enema.

[groundloop]

7. This proves that humans aren't to blame for global climate change

(just in case)

[ashling]

8. Must be the wobble effect

[Doctor_J]

10. good. I'm ready to jump off anyway