When Earth’s magnetic field took its time flipping

Salt Lake City UT (SPX) Feb 10, 2026

Earth’s magnetic field is generated by the churn of its liquid nickel-iron outer core, but it is not a constant feature.

Every so often, the magnetic north and south poles swap places in what are called geomagnetic reversals, and the record of these flips is preserved in rocks and sediments, including those from the ocean floor. These reversals don’t happen suddenly, but over several thous