Earth's magnetic field is actually relatively weak?

The Earths Magnetic Field?

  • Why do you think the Earths magnetic field reverses? Scientists are unable to answer this and have no hypothesis on why either.

  • Answer:

    Because the sun initiates it every 12 years. Its a cycle

Joe C. at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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I'm studying this and there's some theories, there's one that I agree, and it's because the mantle is turning one side (i.e. clockwise), moving patricles up when they're hot and when they get cool they sinking, and they are in constanly moving, so they produces an electric field that by itself generate a magnetic field perpencicular to the electric, then by an inexplicable reason the moving stpo and then begin turning in the other side (i.e. counterclockwise), so I think that it's the reason

Pablo S

Earth’s magnetic field reverses every few thousand years at low latitudes and every 10,000 years at high latitudes. The magnetic field has exhibited a frequent but dramatic variation at irregular times in the geologic past: it has completely changed direction. A compass needle, if one existed then, would have pointed not to the north geographic pole, but instead to the opposite direction. Such polarity reversals provide important clues to the nature of the processes that generate the magnetic field, said Clement. Since the time of Albert Einstein, researchers have tried to nail down a firm time-frame during which reversals of Earth’s magnetic field occur. Indeed, Einstein once wrote that one of the most important unsolved problems in physics centered around Earth’s magnetic field. Our planet’s magnetic field varies with time, indicating it is not a static or fixed feature. Instead, some active process works to maintain the field. That process is most likely a kind of dynamic action in which the flowing and convecting liquid iron in Earth’s outer core generates the magnetic field, geologists believe. Figuring out what happens as the field reverses polarity is difficult because reversals are rapid events, at least on geologic time scales. Finding sediments or lavas that record the field in the act of reversing is a challenge. In the past several years, however, new polarity transition records have been acquired in sediment cores obtained through the international Ocean Drilling Program, funded by NSF. "It is generally accepted that during a reversal, the geomagnetic field decreases to about 10 percent of its full polarity value," said Clement. "After the field has weakened, the directions undergo a nearly 180 degree change, and then the field strengthens in the opposite polarity direction. A major uncertainty, however, has remained regarding how long this process takes. Although this is usually the first question people ask about reversals, scientists have been forced to answer with only a vague ’a few thousand years.’" The reason for this uncertainty? Each published polarity transition reported a slightly different duration, from just under 1,000 years to 28,000 years. "Now, through the innovative use of deep-ocean sediment cores, Clement has demonstrated that magnetic field reversal events occur within certain time-frames, regardless of the polarity of the reversal," said Carolyn Ruppel, program director in NSF’s division of ocean sciences. "Sediment cores originally drilled to meet disparate scientific objectives have led to a result of global significance, which underscores the value of collecting and maintaining cores and associated data." Clement examined the database of existing polarity transition records of the past four reversals. The overall average duration, he found, is 7,000 years. But the variation is not random, he said. Instead it alters with latitude. The directional change takes half as long at low attitude sites as it does at mid- to high-latitude sites. "This dependence of duration on site latitude was surprising at first, but it’s exactly as would be predicted in geometric models of reversing fields," Clement said.

Bandit07

Hmm, i didn't know that Earth's magnetic field reverses.. Hahas Hmm, maybe because North is on top and South is below us? and if the magnetic field is based on Poles.. The magnetic field is slightly perpendicular to the earth's equator, where how to earth is rotating. So every secound, there is a change of magnetic field. Ehh im out of point.. HAHAS ok maybe it reverses to balance up the earth? Or else when one side of the earth is experiencing magnetic field and other side of earth is experencing zero gravity..

Se7en

It moves with the tectonic plates and also with shifts in the magma. There are lots of resources covering this on in the science press and on natural history and geology websites. The below site should have enough info for you. Who told you it was a big mystery?

typoifd

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