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25-03-2021
Column: Nature Notes - FLIPPING POLES
Column: Nature Notes - FLIPPING POLES
Earth is an approximation of a bar magnet with north-south poles representing opposing polarities and magnetic fields encircling the planet between them. However, it's not perfectly aligned or stable.
Geomagnetic poles are commonly understood as positions on the Earth's surface where the geomagnetic field is vertical, 90 degrees downward at the north magnetic pole and 90 degrees upwards at the south magnetic pole; these positions are called dip poles. While there is a general approximate alignment with the Earth's axis, the north dip pole and the south dip poles are not necessarily on the antipodes (opposite each other) nor are they fixed; the two poles migrate independently over time.
Not only do the poles move but at intervals the Earth's magnetic field becomes unstable and reverses, causing north and south magnetic poles to switch places. The record shows that the Earth's magnetic poles have reversed multiple times with intervals ranging from tens of thousands to millions of years. The most recent geomagne

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