Scientists have known that the Earth’s magnetic poles are going to flip for a while. In fact, the poles have shifted many times before, but this time it is happening more rapidly. New data magnetic maps from Swarm, a trio of satellites controlled by the European Space Agency (ESA) reveals that the fields are weakening 10 times faster than first thought. The thought of the planet’s poles flipping sounds pretty scary, but what does it actually mean?

The Importance of Earth’s Magnetic Fields

One may not realize just how important Earth’s magnetic fields are to us. For instance, they protect us from the Sun’s dangerous charged particles and cosmic radiation that cause solar winds. This invisible force originates from the Earth’s solid inner iron core that is surrounded by an outer layer of molten metal. As the temperature in the core layers change and the Earth rotates, the magnetic field lines are formed.  Without that protective forcefield, the particles would eventually eat away at our atmosphere leaving us vulnerable.

What Happens During a Magnetic Shift

A magnetic pole shift is actually a long process that “could take hundreds to thousands of years,” according to Live Science. The faster deterioration of fields indicates that the magnetic poles are going to flip long before the previous prediction of 2,000 years from now. However, it doesn’t mean that it will happen instantaneously. There is also no indication from past pole reversals that it will cause harm to any species on Earth. Perhaps the biggest concern is that, while in limbo, the flip may cause some confusion for communication systems and animals like birds and monarch butterflies that use magnetic fields like a GPS to direct them in travel. Once the shift is complete and north turns into south and vice versa, the confusion should fade. In the end, the magnetic pole reversal probably sounds scarier than it is. Yet, we should never underestimate or forget to appreciate the power of Earth’s magnetism, because it has been protecting and amazing us everyday for billions of years. Photo by NASA Sun Earth