Sound of Earth’s magnetic flip 41,000 years ago: GFZ

Scientists from the Technical University of Denmark and Section 2.3 “Geomagnetism” of the GFZ visualize the Laschamp event and accompany it with a stereo sound composition.

Model of the magnetic field around the earth — The sound of the magnetic Laschamp excursion 41,000 years ago. In the next view you can see and hear the modelling of the magnetic field reversal. *(GFZ)*

Sound of Earth’s magnetic flip 41 000 years ago

🎞 What do we see here?
It is the short-term reversal of the polarity of the Earth's magnetic field during the so-called Laschamp event, about 41,000 years ago! In the process, the magnetic field weakened to only 5% of its current strength, and more cosmic rays reached Earth. Field lines make the event visible.

🔊 Why not make it audible?
Temporal fluctuations in the strength and direction of the Earth's magnetic field are signals that can be converted into sound. The Danish sound artist Klaus Nielsen mixed recordings of natural sounds such as creaking wood & falling stones into familiar and strange sounds.

👉 How do we know the Earth's magnetic field from 41,000 years ago?
It is stored in certain Gesteinsschichten that formed at this time. On the basis of Sedimentbohrkernen & volcanic rock, strength and direction can be analyzed.

🎦 In the animation, blue areas show where field lines enter the Earth at the magnetic poles, and red areas where they exit. There were even times with more than two poles!

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Magnetic field reconstruction: Sanja Panovska (GFZ); Animation: Maximilian Arthus Schanner (GFZ & Uni Potsdam) und Guram Kervalishvili (GFZ); Ton: Klaus Nielsen (DTU Space/Maple Pools)