The Mystery of the Earth’s Core

It received a mention this week at New Scientist, as one of the seven biggest mysteries about Earth. This esteemed publication is not shy about telling us the potential harm of a magentic pole shift that could occur at any time:

Some researchers think that turbulence caused by the growth of the inner core may, over time, make the magnetic field less stable and more likely to flip, causing Earth’s north and south magnetic poles to swap places. When this happens – as it has done in the past – the planet is left temporarily unprotected from the energetic particles streaming out from the sun, known as the solar wind. This would leave us with no shield against magnetic particles from the solar wind. This would certainly bring down our computer systems and may prove to be damaging to life too. When this will happen next, however, nobody knows.

From issue 2675 of New Scientist magazine, 24 September 2008, page 28-29

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