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Why the Earth's magnetic poles could be about to swap places – and how it would affect us

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News
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27.01.2017 - IGT scientists Dr Jon Mound and Dr Phil Livermore had the following article published in The Conversation

The Earth’s magnetic field surrounds our planet like an invisible force field – protecting life from harmful solar radiation by deflecting charged particles away. Far from being constant, this field is continuously changing. Indeed, our planet’s history includes at least several hundred global magnetic reversals, where north and south magnetic poles swap places. So when’s the next one happening and how will it affect life on Earth?


A model of the Earth’s magnetic field: radial magnetic field at the core-mantle boundary (red/blue) and magnetic field lines as observed at the surface.

Full article: https://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/research/research-news/news-story/why-the-earths-magnetic-poles-could-be-about-to-swap-places-and-how-it-would-affect-us/