A perfectly preserved ancient tree fossil offered scientists an unprecedented view into a moment 42,000 years ago when the Earth’s magnetic field went haywire. The compelling 2021 study tells the ...

in which the planet’s north and south magnetic poles swap places. While such an event is not expected to happen any time soon, they have occurred periodically throughout Earth’s history—the last ...

Understanding the Mystique of Magnetic Pole Shifts Magnetic pole shifts, a subject shrouded in both fascination and fear, ...

It took 250 years for the Laschamps reversal to take place and it stayed in the unusual orientation for about 440 years. At most, Earth's magnetic field may have remained at 25 percent of its current ...

With the right preparations and technological solutions in place, aviation would continue to operate safely, even during a ...

The solar maximum, a period of intense activity, precedes the reversal of the magnetic field, which is manifested by a change in polarity at the poles of our star ... is not synonymous with disaster ...

Earth’s magnetic north is not static. Like an anchorless buoy pushed by ocean waves, the magnetic field is constantly on the move as liquid iron sloshes around in the planet’s outer core.

Your navigation system just got a critical update, one that happens periodically because Earth’s magnetic north pole keeps moving. Here’s what to know.