ZAP // NightCafe Studio
Earth’s magnetic field is weakening in North America — possibly due to a shift in geomagnetic poles, Chinese scientists say. Previous studies have linked these changes to the collapse of the Mayan civilization and the fall of civilizations in Syria and Iran 4,000 years ago.
The Earth is surrounded by an immense magnetic field called magnetosphere. This geomagnetic field, a kind of natural barrier that protects the Earth from cosmic radiation, can create disturbances in the atmospheric system.
According to a study carried out by Chinese researchers, in North America this natural barrier is weakening at an unusually fast pace; Over the Eastern Hemisphere, including China, the geomagnetic field is strengthening.
According to , scientists are still trying to determine the cause of these changes, but an initial theory suggests that the phenomenon may be related to a changing geomagnetic poles from the western to the eastern hemisphere.
“The geomagnetic field is a natural barrier to protect the Earth,” wrote the team of researchers, led by professor Fang Hanxiana researcher at the National University of Defense Technology of China, in published last month in Review of Geophysics and Planetary Physics.
The geomagnetic field prevents deadly cosmic rays from reaching the groundplaying a crucial role in maintaining environmental stability, explains the research team.
In 2018, one conducted by scientists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and published in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, found evidence of decades of low geomagnetic field intensity about Mesoamerica — immediately before the collapse of the Mayan Civilization.
In another, conducted in 2006 by researchers from the Institute of Planetary Physics in Paris and published in Earth and Planetary Science Lettersresearchers discovered that sudden changes in the magnetic field could be linked to the fall of ancient civilizations in Iran and Syria about 4000 years ago.
Some scientists claim that a weakening of the Earth’s magnetic field will not only increases the radiation reaching our planetbut also leads to disturbances in the atmospheric system caused by cosmic rays, which can intensify extreme weather phenomena, such as droughts or hurricanes.
However, as Fang Hanxian points out in his study, from the perspective of the military o Earth’s magnetic field is an important strategic resource with wide applications in various domains.
In effect, the military can use the Earth’s magnetic field to ultra-long-distance communicationsradar detection and missile navigation systems.
Also spacecraft and satellites can use this field as a protective “umbrella” to avoid the devastation caused by solar storms, notes the SCMP.
Fang Hanxian’s team used recent models and data to reconstruct changes in magnetic field strength since 1900. They found that between 1930 and 1990, the magnetic field strength in North America increased effectively and was higher than in many other regions of the world.
However, In the last 30 years, there has been a significant reversal: In 2020, the magnetic field intensity in this region fell to a level just above the global average.
This change is exceptional from a global perspective.
“In addition to the weakening of the magnetic field in North America, strength in other important regions presents a growing trend“, notes the researcher. These regions include Eurasia, Africa, Australia and the North Atlantic Ocean, with Africa records the fastest growth.
The size and position of these magnetic anomaly zones are constantly changing. According to Fang Hanxian, it is likely that these changes are related to the drift of the magnetic poles.
Over the last century, the magnetic pole of the northern hemisphere has been coming to move east at a speed of about 10 km per year. However, this process significantly accelerated in recent times.
“After 2000, the speed exceeded 50 km per year, far exceeding the speed of movement of the magnetic pole in the southern hemisphere”, emphasize the study authors in their article.
A weakest region of the magnetic field of Earth is currently located in the Atlantic Ocean, east of South America. Several space agencies, including NASA, are closely monitoring this area.
