| A Magnetic
Earth: Recently there has been a lot of information in the news about a change in the Earth's magnetic field. This change is noticed in the shift of the magnetic north by a few degrees. Geographic north, also called the north pole, is the northern point along which the earth is rotating on. The Earth does "wobble" a little bit as it spins through space, so it is not a fixed point. Magnetic north is the place on the Earth where the magnetic field is goes straight down. While Geographic north wobbles a bit, magnetic north will actually move in a directional motion. The study of paleomagnitism includes the changes in the location of magnetic north in earth's history. For some information on Earth's magnetic field, please watch the following clip from Dr. Brian Cox. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QrYp8xGLhE&feature=player_detailpage Reversals: There have been a few instances during the history of the Earth when the Earth's magnetic field has reversed itself. This means magnetic North and magnetic South have switched places. These reversals are also studied by geologist in the field of Paleomagnitism. Recently , people have speculated that we are due for another reversla in the comming century of so. For more information about this speculation please watch the following clip from a NOVA special. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJW47lV31zo&feature=player_detailpage |