Would you Adam and Eve it?

DAVID HAMBLING says a reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles is coming – but don’t panic!

The idea that the Earth’s magnetic poles can and do switch places has gone the full cycle from being ‘damned’ as impossible, to scientific acceptance, to rebirth as controversy. Social media is abuzz with talk of how pole reversal is the real explanation for climate change, and how it is about to bring about the apocalypse. How worried should we be? The Earth’s core is liquid metal, mainly iron with some nickel, as hot as 6,000˚C and consequently in a constant state of motion like a pot of boiling water. The movement of this conducting material gives rise to electric currents and creates a dynamo action, producing the world spanning magnetic field which makes compasses point North. A century ago scientists had worked out that the geomagnetic field had left…

You're reading a preview of

Fortean Times (Digital) - 1 Issue, 455

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.