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The magnetic north pole of the Earth moves towards Russia and scientists are baffled

2019-12-18T23:38:01.014Z


Unlike geographical poles, the Earth's magnetic poles, which are the basis of our navigation, are actively moving. The rapid pace of the magnetic north pole forced the scientists ...


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(CNN) - Unlike geographical poles, the Earth's magnetic poles, which are the basis of our navigation, are actively moving.

The magnetic north pole has been moving slowly across the Canadian Arctic towards Russia since 1831, but its rapid pace to Siberia in recent years, at a speed of more than 54 kilometers per year, has forced scientists to update the World Magnetic Model - used by civil navigation systems, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the US armies. and Great Britain - one year ahead of schedule.

The 2020 World Magnetic Model predicts that the pole will continue on its way to Russia, but now the speed is slowly decreasing to almost 40 kilometers per year. Since its discovery in 1831, the pole has traveled 2,253 kilometers.

  • READ: The magnetic north pole of the Earth is no longer where you thought: it is moving towards Siberia

The magnetic field reverses its polarity every hundreds of thousands of years, so that the magnetic north pole resides in the geographic South Pole. The last investment took place 770,000 years ago.

In a new study, researchers discovered that the previous field exchange took 22,000 years to complete, much more than anticipated or expected, the scientists said.

Although some believe that investments could occur in the course of a human life, the findings do not support that theory.

The researchers were able to study the inversion of the poles by analyzing a global measurement of ocean sediments, Antarctic ice cores and lava flows. The details within those samples revealed how Earth's magnetic field has weakened, partially displaced, stabilized and inverted for a million years.

"Investments occur in the deepest parts of the interior of the Earth, but the effects are manifested on the entire planet and especially on the Earth's surface and in the atmosphere," said Brad Singer, author of the study and geologist of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Unless you have a complete, accurate and high resolution record of what a field investment really is on the Earth's surface, it is difficult to discuss what are the mechanics to generate an investment," he added.

The magnetic field of our planet is created by an interaction between the outer core of liquid iron that revolves around the solid inner core. When an inversion occurs, the normally strong magnetic field weakens.

  • LOOK: Scientists discovered the deepest land point on the planet

The rock formation works as a way to track changes in the magnetic field. Lava flows and sediments record the state of the magnetic field, marking when they were created. Geologists can use the samples as pieces of a puzzle to reconstruct the history of the magnetic field. The record goes back millions of years, but it is clearer when the last investment is observed.

“Lava flows are ideal for recording the magnetic field. They have a lot of iron ores and, when they cool, they block in the direction of the field, ”Singer said. “But it is an irregular record. There are no volcanoes erupting continuously. Therefore, we rely on careful field work to identify the correct records, ”he added.

Radioisotope dating of lava flows, continuous magnetic readings from the ocean floor and Antarctic ice cores helped recreate an image of the latest investment for researchers.

Argon can be calculated from lava flows as the radioactive decomposition of potassium in the rocks occurs, while beryllium can be found in ice cores. A weakened magnetic field allows more cosmic radiation from space to hit our atmosphere, which creates more beryllium.

  • READ: What is the polar vortex that causes frost in North America?

The current investment took less than 4,000 years, a very short period compared to the Earth's chronology so far. But before that change there were 18,000 years of instability, including two temporary and partial investments. This is twice as expected.

The magnetic field decreases in strength by approximately 5% every century and the signs of weakening in the field point to an upcoming investment, but it is difficult to know when it will occur.

If an investment occurs during our lifetime, it could affect navigation, satellites and communications. However, researchers believe it would take generations to adapt during long periods of instability in the magnetic field.

"I've been working on this problem for 25 years," said Singer. "And now we have a richer and better dated record of this latest change than ever before," he said.

Magnetic Field North Pole Earth

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2019-12-18

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