In case anyone wants to know specifically why this is crazy: here’s a NASA article about magnetic pole shifts/reversals. The short version is:
Magnetic North Pole was identified about 200 years ago and since then it’s constantly been drifting so “Pole Shifts” are a constant reality.
Complete reversals (where N and S swap) happen every 300,000 years or so on average (varying a lot). The last reversal was actually 780,000 years ago, so I’m not sure what societal collapse this guy knows about from WAY into pre-history.
The Earth’s magnetic field has declined in strength in the last 200 years by about 9%, but it’s still twice as intense as it’s million-year average and not going anywhere anytime soon.
Complete reversals (where N and S swap) happen every 300,000 years or so on average (varying a lot). The last reversal was actually 780,000 years ago, so I’m not sure what societal collapse this guy knows about from WAY into pre-history.
For general info, 780,000 years ago, there weren’t even modern humans. That’s firmly in Homo erectus times. It predates the oldest cave paintings by a factor of 16…
Also, solar flare activity cycles every 11 years or so. The recent auroras were caused by ejected solar matter interacting with Earth’s magnetic field, but that doesn’t require or imply that a large polar shift or pole reversal is happening.
What’s the real downside of the poles switching? We have GPS so in most cases it’s not like we were using a compass anyway. Plus once they’ve fully switched it’s basically back to normal, just backwards.
In case anyone wants to know specifically why this is crazy: here’s a NASA article about magnetic pole shifts/reversals. The short version is:
For general info, 780,000 years ago, there weren’t even modern humans. That’s firmly in Homo erectus times. It predates the oldest cave paintings by a factor of 16…
Edit: Apparently referencing polar shift in sun.
Also, solar flare activity cycles every 11 years or so. The recent auroras were caused by ejected solar matter interacting with Earth’s magnetic field, but that doesn’t require or imply that a large polar shift or pole reversal is happening.
See? It’s cyclic! People are even confirming it!
It’s certain people, society collapses every 11 years! Learn how to protect yourself here!
Well, it implies a polar shift in the sun
Thanks. I hadn’t looked at it that way. Will edit.
I’m on team science but 9% in 200 years seems …large… for geologic timescales.
What’s the real downside of the poles switching? We have GPS so in most cases it’s not like we were using a compass anyway. Plus once they’ve fully switched it’s basically back to normal, just backwards.