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The cataclysmic pole shift hypothesis suggests that there have been geologically rapid shifts in the relative positions of the modern-day geographic locations of the poles and the axis of rotation of the Earth, creating calamities such as floods and tectonic events.
No form of the hypothesis is accepted amongst the general scientific community. There is evidence of precession and changes in axial tilt, but this change is on much longer time-scales and does not involve relative motion of the spin axis with respect to the planet.
However, in what is known as true polar wander, the solid Earth can rotate with respect to a fixed spin axis. Research shows that during the last 200 million years a total true polar wander of some 30° has occurred, but that no super-rapid shifts in the Earth's pole were found during this period. A characteristic rate of true polar wander is 1° per million years or less. Between approximately 790 and 810 million years ago, when the super-continent Rodinia existed, two geologically-rapid phases of true polar wander may have occurred. In each of these, the Earth rotated ~55°.
As for the when the next "polar shift" is supposed to happen, it's anybody's guess. There are lots of people that believe that it will happen in 2012 and bring about the end of the world. The NASA website I cited as a source breaks it down really well and has lots of pictures to explain the phenomenon.
Hope this helps to answer your question!
No form of the hypothesis is accepted amongst the general scientific community. There is evidence of precession and changes in axial tilt, but this change is on much longer time-scales and does not involve relative motion of the spin axis with respect to the planet.
However, in what is known as true polar wander, the solid Earth can rotate with respect to a fixed spin axis. Research shows that during the last 200 million years a total true polar wander of some 30° has occurred, but that no super-rapid shifts in the Earth's pole were found during this period. A characteristic rate of true polar wander is 1° per million years or less. Between approximately 790 and 810 million years ago, when the super-continent Rodinia existed, two geologically-rapid phases of true polar wander may have occurred. In each of these, the Earth rotated ~55°.
As for the when the next "polar shift" is supposed to happen, it's anybody's guess. There are lots of people that believe that it will happen in 2012 and bring about the end of the world. The NASA website I cited as a source breaks it down really well and has lots of pictures to explain the phenomenon.
Hope this helps to answer your question!
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It's a shift in magnetic polarity ONLY, NOT A GEOGRAPHICAL POLE SHIFT.
http://www.physorg.com/news159704651.htm…
I wish there would be a massive pole shift : in scientific literacy AND in people who don't really answer the question on YA. NON-ANSWERS are a violation of the community guidelines for point-gaming - cheating.
http://www.physorg.com/news159704651.htm…
I wish there would be a massive pole shift : in scientific literacy AND in people who don't really answer the question on YA. NON-ANSWERS are a violation of the community guidelines for point-gaming - cheating.