We're doomed .. the Earth's poles are about to flip

Fretwired

According to scientists the Earth's magnetic poles are about to flip - this is something that happens every 200-300,000 years and hasn't really affected life on Earth. However, we rely on technology which could get knocked out along with power grids - the weather will also change temporarily.

Have a read ..

https://undark.org/article/books-alanna-mitchell-spinning-magnet/

PC_Dave

How can this happen if the earth is flat? 

Are we being lied to? 

Winny_Pooh

great, bring it on

ICBM

Is this a real threat, with a currently increased likelihood? Or is it like the Yellowstone supervolcano - which erupts roughly every 600,000-700,000 years. The last one was about 630,000 years ago... so the next one could be next year, or not for 70,000 years. Some unusual activity was detected about 10 years ago, but has since subsided.

I have to admit I suspect a large degree of scaremongering even though the possibility of it happening is scientifically accurate.

Ravenous

It's an interesting subject, but it's unlikely in our lifetimes, or even in the next few thousand years.  We'll have faced more significant threats before then...

Admittedly the article isn't really scaremongering, just a little over dramatic.  Apart from that it looks like a good basic description.

Sassafras

Hasn't there already been a Hollywood Blockbuster disaster film made about this phenomenon?

Phil_aka_Pip

@PC_Dave I was going to say Don't be silly the earth doesn't have poles

guitars4you

what will happen to the polar bears and penguins ? - stay where they are or flip as well

Grunfeld

Will my pickups go out of phase?
Ah, just checked, ONLY EMG mini-humbuckers will be okay..
If only I knew where to get some....

Jalapeno

Thought that had happened already ....

littlegreenman

Who's going to fix my plumbing now?

JAYJO

Sassafras said:

Hasn't there already been a Hollywood Blockbuster disaster film made about this     phenomenon?

  not sure   du dur de du  de
 

guitars4you

so which way will water go down the plug holes then ?

What about a compass - which way will it point then ?

what about magnets - will N become S and vice versa ?

Phil_aka_Pip

Will Fleming's Rule still work?

Bezzer

Well "about to flip" really means "probably within the next 2000 years", at least from the most recent .  And it won't be even close to catastrophic but some prep will need to be taken, and there will be plenty of warning ... it's not going to go "pop" and switch.

stickyfiddle

I thought the whole point of Brexit was to get rid of the Poles? Now we're just swapping for some other ones?

FelineGuitars

Will this affect bi-polar people too?

Ravenous

Grunfeld said:

Will my pickups go out of phase?

No, but the CITES paperwork will be a hell of a lot trickier.

Paul_C

and the Gulf Stream is slowing down, so we're all going to be cold while our computers go nuts.

VimFuego

Paul_C said:

and the Gulf Stream is slowing down, so we're all going to be cold while our computers go nuts.

oooh 'ark at him, complaining about his private jet slowing down.

DesVegas

Did you say "about to"? Do you actually know what "about to" means?