Italian, French and American researchers have reached an interesting conclusion.
They have determined with accuracy that Earth's magnetic pole shift about 786 000 years ago took less than a century to complete. It did not take thousands of years, as was thought so far.
Yes - one entire century is enough for the magnetic poles on Earth to reverse. Scientists until recently were worried that we were threatened of this in very short order.
Scientists reached their new ascertainment by analyzing data gathered from the Sulmona region of central Italy. The area is perfect since the sediments there accumulate quickly, which allows for detailed archiving of the layers.
Plus, the volcanic eruptions there have also left their "mark" on the sediments. Thanks to them, they are dated with incredible precision.
After analyses, the particles of magnetite in the geological layers revealed variations in the orientation and intensity of the magnetic field during the time period.
It is Earth's magnetic field, a type of invisible shield, that protects it from the high-energy solar particles that reach it.
Analyses show that not long before the magnetic poles shifted, there was a weakening of the magnetic field. This occurred about 2500 years ago.
The result matches the recently received data sent from the satellites of the "Swarm" mission of the European Space Agency, which are observing the magnetosphere of Earth from space.
What is clearly evident is that Earth's magnetic field is on its way to losing 5% of its intensity in a mere decade.
The decline in intensity is 10 times faster than what was believed so far.
Scientists are not worried though, since the magnetic field needs to become 90% weaker than it is today in order for there to be a risk of pole shift. So this cataclysm does not threaten us - at least for now.
