The Earth’s Magnetic Field Leaves Scientists Baffled: ‘What’s happening?’

Scientists cannot explain what’s happening to the magnetic field which surrounds our planet. It seems that it’s acting weird, and geomagnetic experts have begun taking urgent steps to make sure chaos won’t be unleashed.

The invisible aura around our planet is produced by the molten iron inside Earth, but now it seems that the magnetic north pole is moving too quickly. At the end of the month, experts will update the World Magnetic Model – it was supposed to be updated next week, but with the US government shutdown, they had to postpone it.

The model allows planes and ships to navigate around the world. Last time it was updated was in 2015, and it was supposed to remain the same until 2020. According to the geomagnetist at the University of Colorado, Arnaud Chulliat, the magnetic field changes are so profound that:

“The error is increasing all the time. What’s happening?”

What Won’t Happen: The Apocalypse

Starting with this news, you will soon hear apocalypse prophets warning that this is the age when the magnetic poles will flip, and the end will be upon us.

This is not what is going to happen, though. The wandering poles don’t show any sign of flipping.

A University of Leeds geomagnetist, Phil Livermore, explained that:

“The location of the north magnetic pole appears to be governed by two large-scale patches of magnetic field, one beneath Canada and one beneath Siberia.”

So the magnetic north pole has a spot over Siberia and Canada where two “patches” are very strong. The two patches are like in a “tug of war,” and the Russian patch seems to be winning and dragging the other patch from Canada to Siberia.

“The Siberian patch is winning the competition,” added Livermore.

It now appears to have crossed the International Date Line. Back in the 1990s, the movement was 15 km a year, but now it’s 55 km a year – this is what baffles the experts at the moment.

Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.