Weakening magnetic field could create iron snow on Earth

Earth's magnetic field could weaken, causing iron snow, sulfur volcanoes and failing to protect the planet from cosmic rays.

Iron and sulfur snow could appear on Earth if the magnetic field weakens. Illustration: Flick/Scott Kelly/ NASA.

In a recent study onmagazinearXiv,cScientists from the MESSENGER project of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) believe that Earth in the distant future will have the same fate as Mercury today when the iron core cools, causing the magnetic field to weaken, according to Sputnik.

Research shows that despite being the smallest planet in the solar system, Mercury still has its own magnetic field, albeit about 100 times weaker than Earth's.Mercury's magnetic field is maintained by iron snow and sulfur volcanoes, but that doesn't protect it from the constant bombardment of radioactive particles from the solar wind.

Mercury's magnetic field was first discovered in 1974, but it has been weakening as the planet's core cools. This has scientists worried about the future of our planet, as the temperature of Earth's core is also decreasing, at a rate of about 100 degrees Celsius after a billion years.

A similar scenario would occur if the Earth's magnetic field weakened and we would be faced with iron snow and sulfur volcanoes.

In addition, harmful radiation from the solar wind will also bombard the Earth when the magnetic shield is weakened. Currently, the solar wind blowing towards the Earth is deflected by the magnetic field. Without the magnetic field, harmful molecules would destroy the ozone layer, posing a danger to humans.

According to VNE