At a Glance

Earth's magnetic poles may undergo a full reversal, according to researchers.There's no way to predict pole reversals yet, but scientists say the planet is overdue for one.

The magnetic field acting as our planet’s invisible armor may be close to a reversal in which the magnetic poles trade places, scientists say.

There is currently no way to predict geomagnetic reversals, but because we’re overdue for one and the Earth’s magnetic field has been decreasing, , reports the Conversation.

While a total flip-flop of the Earth’s poles sounds daunting, it isn’t atypical. According to NASA, in the last 20 million years, , though it has been more than twice that long since the phenomenon last occurred.

The magnetic field won’t be completely dissolved during this swap, but it will become weaker and more complex. It may weaken to 10 percent of the present-day strength and have magnetic poles at the equator or create multiple “north” and “south” poles, also according to the Conversation. Temporary and incomplete reversals, known as events and excursions, are also possible. When these occur, the magnetic poles move away from the geographic poles before returning to their original locations.

The last full reversal of the poles, knownas the Brunhes-Matuyama, took place approximately 780,000 years ago, also according to NASA. A temporary reversal of the poles known as , reports Phys.org.

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During a reversal, the magnetic field’s shielding ability is weakened, which allows heightened levels of radiation to reach on and above the Earth’s surface. If this were to happen today, there would be an increased risk for satellites, planes and ground-based electrical infrastructures.

It’s unclear how a major geomagnetic storm would impact today’s electronic infrastructure, but widespread blackouts would disrupt internet electricity, heating and numerous other day-to-day comforts. It could even cause billions in economic problems, as things such as electricity and theinternetplay a large role in today's society.

In 2003, some of the most powerful storms ever recorded made for a particularly scary Halloween. , when solar activity was on the decline, NASA said in a separate report. However, an outbreak of 17 major solar flares erupted on the sun.

Those flares caused the sun’s magnetic field lines to stretch and snap “like a rubber band stretched beyond its limit,” according to NASA. This caused enormous explosions called coronal mass ejections on the sun’s surface, which can blast billions of tons of electrified gas and subatomic particles into space at up to 5 million miles per hour.

The “space weather” caused by these storms hit our planet’s magnetic field and lasted from Oct. 19 of that year until Nov. 7.

"The effects of these storms were ghoulish enough that [aircraft controllers] had to re-route aircraft, it affected satellite systems and communications, and it also caused a power outage in Sweden for about an hour," said NASA solar scientist Dr. Holly Gilbert.

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The storms also heightened the lights of the aurora at the North and South poles.

“The aurora are normally limited to the higher latitudes, and these storms were so powerful they created aurora that could be seen as far south as Florida," said Gilbert.

It’s also uncertain what impact a full reversal of the poles would have on humans and other life on the planet. The last time this phenomenon occurred, modern humans did not yet exist.

Research continues to learn more about a possible full reversal, as well as the activity of the Earth’s liquid core where the magnetic field is generated.

In June 2016, , where the magnetic field is generated. According to a study on the finding, data showed intense field change at high latitude, which may be part of a longer-term variation causing the planet’s magnetic features to move.

A global network of ground-based observatories and orbiting satellites have also been analyzing how the magnetic field is changing, which shines more light on how the Earth’s liquid core is moving, the Conversation reported.

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