Earth’s magnetic field is probably not reversing Article Swipe
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· 2018
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1722110115
· OA: W2802919589
Significance Earth’s magnetic field is generated in Earth’s convecting liquid iron outer core and protects Earth’s surface from harmful solar radiation. The field has varied on different timescales throughout geological history, and these variations reflect changes deep within the Earth. Two of the field’s most extreme variations are reversals and excursions. During such events, the strength of the field decreases and the magnetic poles rapidly flip polarity, with reversals characterized by the pole retaining an opposite polarity, while excursions are marked by a return to the original polarity. Field strength over the past centuries has also been decreasing strongly; however, through analyzing previous excursions, we infer that Earth’s magnetic field is not in an early stage of a reversal or excursion.
