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What caused the Laschamp event?
The world experienced a few centuries of apocalyptic conditions 42,000 years ago, triggered by a reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles combined with changes in the Sun’s behaviour. This event is called as Laschamps Excursion.
Which answer best describes the Laschamp event that occurred on Earth 41400 years ago?
Which answer best describes the Laschamp event that occurred on earth 41,400 years ago? Approximately 41,400 years ago (plus or minus 2,000 years), during the end of the Last Glacial Period (c. 11,700 years ago), there was a geomagnetic excursion, defined as a short reversal of the Earth’s magnetic field.
How would a pole shift affect the earth?
This is what has happened when the magnetic poles flipped in the past. This could weaken Earth’s protective magnetic field by up to 90\% during a polar flip. Earth’s magnetic field is what shields us from harmful space radiation which can damage cells, cause cancer, and fry electronic circuits and electrical grids.
What is the effect of magnetic pole reversal?
During a pole reversal, the magnetic field weakens, but it doesn’t completely disappear. The magnetosphere, together with Earth’s atmosphere, continue protecting Earth from cosmic rays and charged solar particles, though there may be a small amount of particulate radiation that makes it down to Earth’s surface.
What might be the consequences of to life and to society during this period of time when the Earth’s magnetic field weakens?
This weakened magnetic field would have triggered substantial changes in Earth’s atmospheric ozone, with dramatic consequences, including electrical storms and spectacular aurorae, and climate change around the world.
What caused the South Atlantic Anomaly?
The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) is an area where Earth’s inner Van Allen radiation belt comes closest to Earth’s surface, dipping down to an altitude of 200 kilometres (120 mi). The effect is caused by the non-concentricity of Earth and its magnetic dipole.
How long did the Laschamp excursion last?
Background and effects. Since its discovery, the magnetic excursion has been demonstrated in geological archives from many parts of the world. The transition from the normal field to the reversed field lasted approximately 250 years, while the magnetic field remained reversed for approximately 440 years.
What are the findings of magnetic reversal?
By magnetic reversal, or ‘flip’, we mean the process by which the North pole is transformed into a South pole and the South pole becomes a North pole. Interestingly, the magnetic field may sometimes only undergo an ‘excursion’, rather than a reversal.
How is magnetism important to our evolution?
This magnetic field is invisible but is vital for life on Earth’s surface: it shields the planet from harmful solar wind and cosmic rays from the sun. That knowledge can provide clues to understanding the future evolution of Earth, as well as the evolution of other planets in the solar system.
How did Earth become the most habitable planet in the solar system?
What makes the Earth habitable? It is the right distance from the Sun, it is protected from harmful solar radiation by its magnetic field, it is kept warm by an insulating atmosphere, and it has the right chemical ingredients for life, including water and carbon.