I was rereading this article that I quoted earlier this year and found: "
The Earth's magnetic poles move. The magnetic North Pole moves in loops of up to 50 miles (80 km) per day. But its actual location, an average of all these loops, is also moving at around 25 miles a year [ref]. In the last 150 years, the pole has wandered a total of about 685 miles (1102 kilometers). The magnetic South Pole moves in a similar fashion."And the part that talks about it looping 50 miles a day I hadn't noticed before. I knew that the north magnetic pole has been wandering 685 miles northward during the last 150 years but just didn't realize before that it was looping about 50 miles too. This is even more evidence of the Earth being in either a Geomagnetic Excursion or Reversal during the next 1000 to 10,000 years. However, it might be 100 or more years before one or more scientists can prove one or the other is happening.
Another point that also might be true. Since we may be in a Geomagnetic Reversal or Excursion right now this is known to cause something similar to Global Climate Change and also causes a diminishing of the Magnetosphere down to zero to 10 percent of normal. Since this is happening along with cracks forming in the magnetosphere since the early 2000s especially around the poles, it likely is also beginning to cause genetic mutation of anything that lives on the surface of the earth or in the air or in the water above a certain depth. How much this is occurring would only be known with more research. Another problem caused by a diminishing of the Magnetosphere is it leaves all life on the surface of the earth more vulnerable to Solar Flares when they occur which can also result in increased genetic mutation especially near the poles.
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Wednesday, May 14, 2014
"Why does the North Pole move?"
HowStuffWorks "Why does the North Pole move?"
science.howstuffworks.com/.../earth/.../question782.htm
The Earth has several poles, not just two. It has geographic north and south poles
HowStuffWorks
Why does the North Pole move?
Image courtesy Kenai National Wildlife
The
Earth has several poles, not just two. It has geographic north and
south poles, which are the points that mark the Earth's axis of
rotation. It also has magnetic north and south poles, based on the
planet's magnetic field. When you use a compass, it points to the
magnetic north pole, not the geographic North Pole.
The Earth's magnetic poles move. The magnetic North Pole moves in loops of up to 50 miles (80 km) per day. But its actual location, an average of all these loops, is also moving at around 25 miles a year [ref]. In the last 150 years, the pole has wandered a total of about 685 miles (1102 kilometers). The magnetic South Pole moves in a similar fashion.
The poles can also switch places. Scientists can study when this has happened by examining rocks on the ocean floor that retain traces of the field, similar to a recording on a magnetic tape. The last time the poles switched was 780,000 years ago, and it's happened about 400 times in 330 million years. Each reversal takes a thousand years or so to complete, and it takes longer for the shift to take effect at the equator than at the poles. The field has weakened about 10% in the last 150 years. Some scientists think this is a sign of a flip in progress.
The Earth's physical structure is behind all this magnetic shifting. The planet's inner core is made of solid iron. Surrounding the inner core is a molten outer core. The next layer out, themantle, is solid but malleable, like plastic. Finally, the layer we see every day is called the crust.
The
Earth itself spins on its axis. The inner core spins as well, and it
spins at a different rate than the outer core. This creates a dynamo effect, or convections and currents within the core. This is what creates the Earth's magnetic field -- it's like a giant electromagnet.
Exactly how the dynamo effect changes the field isn't widely understood. Shifts in the core's rate of spin and the currents within the molten material most likely affect the planet's field and the location of the poles. In other words, the poles move because the convection in the core changes. These changes might also cause the poles to switch places. Irregularities where the core and mantle meet and changes to the Earth's crust, like large earthquakes, can also change the magnetic field.
The Earth's magnetic poles move. The magnetic North Pole moves in loops of up to 50 miles (80 km) per day. But its actual location, an average of all these loops, is also moving at around 25 miles a year [ref]. In the last 150 years, the pole has wandered a total of about 685 miles (1102 kilometers). The magnetic South Pole moves in a similar fashion.
The poles can also switch places. Scientists can study when this has happened by examining rocks on the ocean floor that retain traces of the field, similar to a recording on a magnetic tape. The last time the poles switched was 780,000 years ago, and it's happened about 400 times in 330 million years. Each reversal takes a thousand years or so to complete, and it takes longer for the shift to take effect at the equator than at the poles. The field has weakened about 10% in the last 150 years. Some scientists think this is a sign of a flip in progress.
The Earth's physical structure is behind all this magnetic shifting. The planet's inner core is made of solid iron. Surrounding the inner core is a molten outer core. The next layer out, themantle, is solid but malleable, like plastic. Finally, the layer we see every day is called the crust.
Image courtesy USGS
Exactly how the dynamo effect changes the field isn't widely understood. Shifts in the core's rate of spin and the currents within the molten material most likely affect the planet's field and the location of the poles. In other words, the poles move because the convection in the core changes. These changes might also cause the poles to switch places. Irregularities where the core and mantle meet and changes to the Earth's crust, like large earthquakes, can also change the magnetic field.
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