# Geomagnetic reversal **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geomagnetic-reversal/570268 "2011-02-05T06:53:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geomagnetic-reversal/570268/1 "2011-02-05T06:53:53Z")
Basically a two part question, related to two “news” items seen in the last few days. Inspired by [this](http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february042011/global-superstorms-ta.php) Fark article, I searched and found [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=266191&highlight=geomagnetic+reversal) thread. From the first link: > [@](#): > > NASA has been warning about it…scientific papers have been written about it…geologists have seen its traces in rock strata and ice core samples… > Now “it” is here: an unstoppable magnetic pole shift that has sped up and is causing life-threatening havoc with the world’s weather. From the OP of the thread: > [@](#): > > How is the earth’s magnetic field flipping going to knock out the US power grid? > > * * * > > Even if it does, per this article, how is that going to affect the power distribution grid? The earth’s magnetic fields is extremely weak compared to AC land lines. How would a magnetic polarity flip blow anything out? > > NYT: COLLAPSE OF THE EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELD ACCELERATES I have read enough to somewhat understand the phenomenom, but not to get the gist of whether we even know enough to tell if this is happening or not. Just a few days prior to that, I saw [this](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/two-suns-twin-stars_n_811864.html) recent story about “two suns” on Huffington Post. I fear there is WOO CONSPIRACY :eek: to convince the alarmists, deists, atheists, fascists and conspirac"ists" that SOMETHING. IS. GONNA. HAPPEN.!!! In 2012. (Does this earn me my badge in the last category?) So, what say the Dope? Mods…not sure if this should be in Great Debates or not. Move at your discretion. ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geomagnetic-reversal/570268/2 "2011-02-05T07:02:14Z")
ETA: Something IS happening. I try to submit this and _PooF_…interwebs gone. Try again. Gone again. If there are 3 threads here with the same OP… Don’t blame me. Blame Planet X. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geomagnetic-reversal/570268/3 "2011-02-05T07:05:52Z")
See, I told you. Something. Is. Happening. I paid so much attention to getting the links and quotes right, I completely missed that I screwed up the Title. Oh well. Mods? Fix Please? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geomagnetic-reversal/570268/4 "2011-02-05T14:50:19Z")
Maybe [this](http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2003/29dec_magneticfield/) 8-year-old article will help. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geomagnetic-reversal/570268/5 "2011-02-05T16:34:29Z")
> [@loshan](#): > > See, I told you. > > Something. Is. Happening. > > I paid so much attention to getting the links and quotes right, I completely missed that I screwed up the Title. > > Oh well. Mods? Fix Please? 😃 Fixed title. ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geomagnetic-reversal/570268/6 "2011-02-05T17:45:00Z")
I have read that article as well as a couple more from NASA. I also read the NYT article. I just came across the Salem News article yesterday and was struck by her insistence that IT IS HAPPENING NOW! 😕 I couldn’t find anything to back up her assertion that a geomagnetic reversal is responsible for the wacky weather. Of course, this morning, I look more closely at the Salem News site and it looks like it is generally a little “out there”. :smack: