Magnetic reversal caused massive climate shifts
Scientists link most recent magnetic instability to global environmental change.
19 February 2021
About 42,000 years ago, a reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles triggered massive climate shifts and caused environmental changes to sweep across the globe, according to new Australian-led research.
Scientists have long known that the planet’smagnetic fieldperiodically flips, with the north and south poles switching places. The last known reversal – which was temporary and technically known as the “Laschamps excursion” – occurred 41,000–42,000 years ago. If such an event happened today, it wouldwreak havocon satellites and electrical grids, but its environmental impact is less well understood.
This new study,publishedinScience, suggests that the Laschamps excursion coincides with significant environmental and ecological changes, including growing ice sheets, mass extinctions, and even the rise of cave art.
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