Colors range from weak fields (blue) to strong fields (yellow). The geomagnetic field at Earth’s surface with the South Atlantic Anomaly outlined in black and St.
EARTH MAGNETIC FIELD CALCULATOR PATCH
The strange region is thought to be related to a patch of magnetic field that is pointing a different direction to the rest at the top of the planet’s liquid outer core at a depth of 1,795 miles (2,889 km) within the Earth.
The magnetic field of the South Atlantic Anomaly is already so weak that it can adversely affect satellites and their technology when they fly past it. Weak magnetic fields make us more prone to magnetic storms that have the potential to knock out electronic infrastructure, including power grids. Now our new study, published June 12, 2020, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has uncovered how long the field in the South Atlantic has been acting up – and sheds light on whether it is something to worry about. Weak and unstable fields are thought to precede magnetic reversals, so some have argued this feature may be evidence that we are facing one. Image via Umomos/ Shutterstock/ The Conversation.īetween South America and southern Africa, there is an enigmatic magnetic region called the South Atlantic Anomaly, where the field is a lot weaker than we would expect. Saint Helena, where Earth’s magnetic field behaves strangely. This is called a reversal and last happened 780,000 years ago.
The field can even change polarity completely, with the magnetic north and south poles switching places. This field changes over time, and also behaves differently in different parts of the world. Image via NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ The Conversation.Ĭlick here if you’re looking for this new study, from February 2021: Magnetic reversal 42,000 years ago linked to upheaval and extinctionsīy Yael Annemiek Engbers, University of Liverpool and Andrew Biggin, University of Liverpoolĭeep inside the Earth, liquid iron is flowing and generating the Earth’s magnetic field, which protects our atmosphere and satellites against harmful radiation from the sun. Indeed, our planet’s history includes numerous global magnetic reversals, where north and south magnetic poles swap places. Earth’s magnetic field extends from the Earth’s interior out into space, surrounding our planet like an invisible force field, protecting life from harmful solar radiation by deflecting away charged particles from the sun.