which way is north, I'm ssuming the oppiste is south

[Lloyd]

which way is north, I'm assuming the opposite is south.

[AdeV]

Magnetic North has always been cockeyed from Geographic North, as I am sure you know... Indeed, there is evidence that the poles have, in the past, flipped, so Magnetic North actually became Magnetic South. I guess the big unknown is: Does it "flip" near-as-damnit instantly, in which case we'll probably see a couple of weeks of total chaos before things get back to normal; or does it "flip" by drifting fairly slowly around the globe; in which case we will see years of chaos.

IIRC, scientists largely believe another magnetic flip is due anytime soon...

[LowGear]

flip is due anytime soon...

+ or - how may millennium?

[vdubnut62]

Actually Casey, some think currently we are a bit overdue. The periods  between pole reversals are called chrons, and last from from 100,000 to a little over a million years with an average of somewhere around 450,000 years.
   The last reversal was around 780,000 years ago, sooo... Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?    Sorry, I can't help myself sometimes.
Ron.

[mobile_bob]

 not that i am going to lose any sleep over the poles swapping positions,
i just would rather not be on an airliner when it happens... that is if it is a quick
change.

other than that activity, i can't imagine it having much of an impact on me where i am at.

(back to rat holing more food from the garden)



bob g

[LowGear]

The last reversal was around 780,000 years ago

So in 220 millennium we'll be poised for a record - - - - + or - 100 millennium (10% of scale).

Casey

[deeiche]

a quick change in geologic time could be 10000 years

[cgwymp]

a quick change in geologic time could be 10000 years

Cool -- just enough time for me to get my Listeroid finished! ;-)

[LowGear]

Hey cgwymp,

Let's start our generators in an around the world handshake just as the core flips, or is it flops.

Casey

[vdubnut62]

Reverses.

Ron RRS.  (resident redneck smartass)

[mobile_bob]

inversion



bob g

[Frank S]

Some time ago I remember reading a white paper published by a Geo-astro physics professor. now if that is not a strange combination of a field of study there never was one.
Any way She had hypothesized the theory of pole reversal being coincidental with the impact of a large mostly iron asteroid there-by  triggering  an instability in the magnetic flux of the earth. which one time possibly lasted for  a million years before stabilizing again.
This just goes to show that anyone can have a theory about nearly anything .
Personally I look at it this way if the absolute center of the earth is a solid nickle/ iron core the size of the moon surrounded by a molten mostly iron core half the size or mars then beyond that is the layers of the mantle before the crust which is shaped somewhat like 4 kidney beans squished together the surface of  all of this is covered by nearly 70% water tenaciously held in a delicate orbit around a nuclear fire ball with 7 other planets 1 sub planet possibly a few micro planets 60 to 200 moons and trillions of asteroids all in a more or less geosynchronous orbit around the star it is a wonder that the magnetic poles of the Earth have been as nearly stable as they have been for the past few billion years.
OF course if you were on a flight to Australia and the poles were to suddenly  instantaneously reverse  you might wind up in Greenland not very funny if you had been planning for a few days at the beach. but wound up stranded on a glacier. LOL

[LowGear]

not very funny if you had been planning for a few days at the beach. but wound up stranded on a glacier. LOL

But how long would the glaciers be there once the inversion took place?  "Weather based on the earth's core in relationship to the Sun."  Do I smell grant money for an empirical primary study on the beaches of Australia?

Casey

[vdubnut62]

Some time ago I remember reading a white paper published by a Geo-astro physics professor. now if that is not a strange combination of a field of study there never was one.
Any way She had hypothesized the theory of pole reversal being coincidental with the impact of a large mostly iron asteroid there-by  triggering  an instability in the magnetic flux of the earth. which one time possibly lasted for  a million years before stabilizing again.
This just goes to show that anyone can have a theory about nearly anything .
Personally I look at it this way if the absolute center of the earth is a solid nickle/ iron core the size of the moon surrounded by a molten mostly iron core half the size or mars then beyond that is the layers of the mantle before the crust which is shaped somewhat like 4 kidney beans squished together the surface of  all of this is covered by nearly 70% water tenaciously held in a delicate orbit around a nuclear fire ball with 7 other planets 1 sub planet possibly a few micro planets 60 to 200 moons and trillions of asteroids all in a more or less geosynchronous orbit around the star it is a wonder that the magnetic poles of the Earth have been as nearly stable as they have been for the past few billion years.
OF course if you were on a flight to Australia and the poles were to suddenly  instantaneously reverse  you might wind up in Greenland not very funny if you had been planning for a few days at the beach. but wound up stranded on a glacier. LOL

Wow. That sure puts a lot of things in perspective.  Especially that "Nobody gets out of this life alive."
Ron 

[mobile_bob]

just wait, they will call it "man made pole inversion"

you know man is the cause of every malady in some folks eyes.

bob g