American scientists have determined the frequency of geomagnetic inversions (the change of the magnetic poles) of the Earth. The work of the authors allows to predict the timing of this event in the future. The study is published on the website arXiv.org.
As shown by scientists, geomagnetic inversion occurs roughly every 26 million years. Last time this event happened 700 thousand years ago. Therefore, the onset of inversion is possible in about 25 million years.
In their study, the authors reviewed the treatment of the paleomagnetic and geochronological data for the last 375 million years. To do this, scientists used the analysis of the Fourier representation of functions as a sum of harmonic vibrations with different frequencies.
Previously, scientists assumed that the polarity change of the field occurs at a frequency of 16 million years. This parameter value could be received as a result of accounting for magnetic activity associated with the plumes — hot mantle flows, moving from the core in the direction of the earth’s crust.
Inversion of poles, as scientists believe, occurs within a few thousand years and leads to a short sharp weakening of Earth’s magnetic field. As a result, the planet surface is harmful to living organisms cosmic radiation. Some scientists believe that geomagnetic inversion is random and not periodic, nature.
