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Science - An Asteroid May Have New Elements Not Known on Earth

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by chemgator, Oct 16, 2023.

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  1. Apr 25, 2024 #41
    chemgator

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    Some science from planet earth: ancient rocks (3.7 billion years old) have been found in Greenland, and they indicate that the earth's magnetic field has not changed all that much since the early days of the planet. This is actually surprising, because scientists have previously believed that the earth did not have a magnetic field back in the early times. The magnetic field is important because it protects the earth from charged particles sent to earth by the solar wind. The earth's inner core needed to cool enough that it partially solidified before the magnetic field developed, but that cooling supposedly only occurred one billion years ago, so the earlier existence of a magnetic field is a mystery.

    Ancient rocks hold proof of Earth's magnetic field. Here's why that's puzzling

     
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  2. Apr 26, 2024 #42
    DesertGator

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    I misunderstood your post at first. The fact a magnetic field exists hasn't changed. I was trying to reconcile that with the fact the poles have reversed multiple times over the Earth's history. The location of magnetic north has shifted pretty significantly recently which indicates another flip may be in the near future.
     
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  3. Apr 26, 2024 #43
    Trickster

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    Damn, so will we then be standing on our heads in China?
     
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  4. Apr 26, 2024 #44
    DesertGator

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    LOL! No, but it could also explain a lot of what we're currently seeing. As the Earth's magnetic field weakens during the flip (occurs over a thousand or even several thousand years) it causes all sorts of side effects (ozone damage, significant climate changes, a greater exposure to solar winds). It should be noted that the reason we have solar minimums and maximums every 11 years is that is the predictable cycle in which the poles flip on the sun.

    How the Earth's Magnetic Field Flip Will Impact Life on Our Planet
     
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  5. Apr 26, 2024 #45
    Trickster

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    If you say so. :confused:
     
  6. Apr 26, 2024 #46
    DesertGator

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    Why the confusion?
     
  7. Apr 26, 2024 #47
    Trickster

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    Just kidding with you. You're obviously far more knowledgeable about the subject than I am.
     
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  8. Apr 26, 2024 #48
    DesertGator

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    Ah, no worries. Sometimes it's hard for me to catch humor in text.
     
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