I watched this documentary saying we are due for a polar shift
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It's when the Earth's magnetic poles invert, North for South and South for North. It will play hell with compasses and animals that orient by the magnetic field, but that's about it.
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Yeah, those schlockumentaries are hilarious, aren't they.
A polar shift could be one of 2 things:
A geomagnetic reversal where the north and south magnetic poles switch. That has happened in the past and could certainly happen in the future. BUT, for that to happen our magnetic field would have to decrease to almost nothing before it could switch. The Earth's magnetic field does fluctuate up and down, but there is no evidence of any long-term decrease.
So that one is out.
The other type is called a rotational pole shift, and the only way that could happen would be if a mass about the same as the Earth were to approach the Earth at just the right distance and at just the right angle and at just the right velocity - nothing anywhere CLOSE to a mass that large is anywhere nearby.
So that one is out as well.
Documentaries don't have to be accurate or right, they just have to sound good to attract viewers (which is of course the whole point).
A polar shift could be one of 2 things:
A geomagnetic reversal where the north and south magnetic poles switch. That has happened in the past and could certainly happen in the future. BUT, for that to happen our magnetic field would have to decrease to almost nothing before it could switch. The Earth's magnetic field does fluctuate up and down, but there is no evidence of any long-term decrease.
So that one is out.
The other type is called a rotational pole shift, and the only way that could happen would be if a mass about the same as the Earth were to approach the Earth at just the right distance and at just the right angle and at just the right velocity - nothing anywhere CLOSE to a mass that large is anywhere nearby.
So that one is out as well.
Documentaries don't have to be accurate or right, they just have to sound good to attract viewers (which is of course the whole point).
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A "polar shift" is when the Earth's magnetic poles reverse -- the north magnetic pole becomes the south magnetic pole, and vice versa. On average, there is a reversal around every 400,000 years, but this varies a lot. The geological record suggests that the last reversal was around 800,000 years ago.
Furthermore, there is already evidence to show that the field has been weakening over the last few centuries – some archaeological remains suggest that the field was far stronger in the time of the Roman Empire, some 2,000 years ago.
Don't think that such reversals happen instantly. They don't..! It takes hundreds of years for the reversal to complete.
Furthermore, there is already evidence to show that the field has been weakening over the last few centuries – some archaeological remains suggest that the field was far stronger in the time of the Roman Empire, some 2,000 years ago.
Don't think that such reversals happen instantly. They don't..! It takes hundreds of years for the reversal to complete.