Learn how some of Earth’s magnetic field flips last longer than others, weakening our defenses against cosmic radiation.

Earth’s magnetic field has flipped about 170 times in the last 100 m years, and the next reversal is not a matter of if but when. Far from a cinematic instant catastrophe, a flip would unfold over ...

Earth’s magnetic field, the invisible barrier that deflects solar radiation and makes surface life possible, is not permanent in its current orientation. Geologic records show that magnetic north and ...

Researchers have identified a period of sluggish magnetic field flipping for planet Earth, some 40 million years ago – raising big questions about how long these reversals actually take, and how we ...

Deep beneath the ocean floor, ancient sediments hint that Earth’s magnetic field sometimes changed far more slowly than expected.

A perfectly preserved ancient tree fossil offered scientists an unprecedented view into a moment 42,000 years ago when the Earth’s magnetic field went haywire. The compelling 2021 study tells the ...