- The Earth’s magnetic poles were reversed 2,000,000 years ago, which may have caused a global atmospheric crisis, according to a new study.
- Many large mammals can die as a result of changes in temperature and radiation levels.
- The event would eventually have contributed to the extinction of Neanderthals.
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When its magnetic poles reversed some 2,000,000 years ago, the earth was in turmoil.
Scientists have known about the flip since the late 1960s. Earth’s magnetic poles are not static – they are produced by electric currents from the planet’s liquid outer core, which is in constant motion. Towards the end, the Earth’s magnetic north pole has wandered significantly on its way to northern Russia.
But for the most part, scientists did not think that the last pole flip has a major environmental impact. Sure, the planet’s magnetic field has weakened, allowing more cosmic rays to enter the atmosphere, but plant and animal life has not been found to be much affected.
A new study now suggests that a more dramatic phenomenon has occurred: additional cosmic rays may lower ozone concentrations, opening the door to flooding for excessive ultraviolet radiation into the atmosphere. Changing weather patterns could expand the ice sheet in North America and dry up large Australia, leading to the extinction of many large mammals. A solar storm, perhaps, may have inspired ancient humans to seek refuge in caves.
As the competition for resources grows, our closest extinct human relative, Neanderthals, may be dead.
The end of the day would have been a surprisingly scary time, said Chris Terni, an earth scientist at the University of New South Wales, in a video describing the new research.
Scientists have not agreed on any definitive theory as to why Neanderthals disappeared. Some research suggests that their extinction occurred naturally, because Neanderthals are associated with modern humans or the population for children, mating and rearing has become too small. Other scientists have suggested that Neanderthals may be in competition for resources as modern humans begin to inhabit Europe.
Terni’s study suggests that it is no coincidence that Neanderthals died following a large shift in the Earth’s magnetic poles.
“Only when you start talking between different fields of science, you will see connections,” said his co-author, Alan Cooper. “Before that, nobody from different fields worked in 42 [42,000 years ago] Was the key event. “
Ancient trees and caves hold the key to potential environmental disasters
A scientist takes measurements in a Brunicul cave in southwestern France.
Thomson Reuters
To find out what happened to the Earth’s atmosphere 2,000,000 years ago, scientists asked New Zealand, a living inhabitant at the time: Ancient Kauri trees. Tree rings – a radioactive isotope in the atmosphere – have served as a record for radiocarbon levels for thousands of years. Indeed, the rings show evidence of increasing radiocarbon at the time when the magnetic fields reversed, which was known as an event called “L Las Shachamps Tourism.”
This phenomenon is unparalleled in the history of our planet: the British Geological Survey estimates that four or five poles flip every million years.
During these reversals, the magnetic field that protects our planet from the solar wind (charged particles flowing from the sun) weakens. Earth’s magnetic north and south poles – not to be confused with the planet’s north and south geographical points – switch locations.
The most recent example of this magnetic flip, Lashch mp mps tourism, occurred over a period of about 1000 years. It’s an obstacle to Earth’s lifespan, but it’s enough time to change the face of people living on the planet.
In that process of shifting from north to south and from south to north, effectively the Earth’s magnetic field almost disappeared, Terni said. “And it opened up the planet from outer space to all these high-energy particles.”
If the sun is piercing the extra-high levels of radiation in a solar storm at that time, Neanderthals may need to take cover.
Indeed, Lachamshamps tours are consistent with the increasing use of caves throughout Europe and Southeast Asia. In particular, researchers have found red ocher manuscripts in caves in regions dating back to some 200,000 years ago. According to a new study, this pigment may serve as an ancient form of sunscreen.
Red ocher handprints in Spain’s El Castillo Cave may represent the use of an ancient form of sunscreen.
Paul Petitit, Gobirno de Cantabria
Another magnetic versus can be ‘proximal’
Not all researchers are convinced by the analysis of Terni and Cooper. Chris Stringer, an ethnographer at the Natural History Museum in London, told The Guardian that while the Las Mumps tourist may have contributed to the death of Neanderthals, it is difficult to know exactly when he died.
“They were able to survive longer and be more widespread than just Europe, and we have a poor improvement over the time of their final disappearance in various parts of Asia,” Stringer said.
James Chanel, a geologist at the University of Florida, told NPR that the historical record of the ice core, which has been around for 2,000 years, does not indicate a global environmental crisis. However, he added, “there appears to be a connection between the extinction of large mammals and the weakening of the Earth’s magnetic field.”
In a very short time, the new study hints at what could happen if the magnetic north and south were reversed.
Scientists know that the Earth’s magnetic field has weakened by about 9% in the last 170 years. The magnetic north pole has also been moving faster at 30 to 40 miles per year since the 1990s.
This has led to “speculation that the opposite may be imminent in the field,” the researcher wrote. Such an event could potentially disrupt the power grid and satellite network. Increased radiation can also expose more people to diseases such as cancer.
But scientists suspect that any potential magnetic countermeasures will be in its infancy. The Earth’s magnetic field is even stronger The last time the poles were flipped.
