The sun may rise in the west.

Climate researchers believe that Earth is in the process of a magnetic pole reversal, which could cause the sun to rise in the west.

The Earth's magnetic field is weakening. Photo: ESA/ATG Medialab

Some scientists fear that this process could lead to the extinction of the human species, as happened to Neanderthals before.

Doomsday prophets believe that a reversal of the magnetic poles, from north to south, could cause massive continental shifts, leading to earthquakes and sudden climate change, extinction, and global destruction.

According to geologists, this phenomenon has occurred many times in Earth's history, the last time being approximately 780,000 years ago, during the Stone Age. However, according to Alan Thompson, these catastrophes will not happen again.

"There is no fossil evidence to suggest continental drift or past global catastrophes," said Thompson, who is now head of geomagnetism at the British Geological Survey.

Besides earthquakes, many scientists believe that the Earth will reverse its magnetic field within less than 1,000 years. The weakening of the Earth's magnetic field is thought to leave the Earth without sufficient protection against solar radiation and X-rays. These radiations create the beautiful auroras in the Arctic, but are dangerous to living organisms and human technology.

If Earth had no magnetic field or a weakened magnetic field, the ozone layer—the shield against ultraviolet rays—would disappear, increasing the risk of skin cancer in humans. Solar storms occurring at this time would disrupt global communication systems and power supply, potentially leading to fires, explosions, and chaos in the streets.

According to Express, if another solar storm of comparable intensity to the strongest recorded during the Victorian era were to occur while the magnetic field weakens, the economic damage from power outages and communication disruptions would amount to trillions of dollars. A magnetic pole reversal or weakening also affects magnetically oriented organisms such as bees, salmon, and pigeons.

The phenomenon of the Earth's magnetic field weakening has been observed for the past 160 years.

"The Earth's magnetic field has been declining at an alarming rate for 160 years, leading many to believe it's a sign of a pole reversal," said John Tarduno, a professor of geophysics at the University of Rochester.

Magnetic pole reversal takes between 1,000 and 10,000 years to complete. Earth's geological history has recorded hundreds of such reversals. This phenomenon is caused by molten iron atoms in the Earth's outer core aligning their magnetic fields in the opposite direction to Earth's magnetic field, weakening it. If the number of these atoms increases to a certain level, Earth's magnetic field will reverse polarity. The most dangerous time for life on Earth is when the magnetic field is weakest. Nothing protects Earth from the radiation of solar storms at that time.

According to research by Jean-Pierre Valet, a scientist at the Institute of Geophysics, the extinction of Neanderthals about 55,000 years ago coincided with a time when the Earth's magnetic field was weakest, although it did not lead to a pole reversal. However, many scientists disagree with this hypothesis.

"Even when the Earth's magnetic field is at its weakest, we still have the protection of the atmosphere from radiation. We can't feel the magnetic field, so if a pole reversal occurs, humans won't be able to detect it," said Monika Korte, scientific director of the Niemegk Geomagnetic Observatory in Germany.

According to VnExpress