So it's my understand that the north and south poles switch position every couple hundred years or so. Is it just a coincidence that they're over the coldest regions in the world? I'm assuming it takes time for the pokes to swap...
Magnets. How do they work?
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UrsaMinor
MemberThe cycle is irregular, but a minimum time for a cycle of the Earth's field is measured in thousands of years. A typical one is tens of thousands of years. When the field begins to flip, it can happen quickly in geological terms (a few centuries to a few millennia).
It is just a coincidence that the magnetic poles are over the coldest parts of the planet, but probably not entirely a coincidence that they are near the geographic poles.
The present field appears to be weakening rapidly and getting ready to flip polarity. Most estimates put it at zero field strength a couple of thousand years from now.
Posted 2 years ago #
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