ELI5: What happens when magnetic poles flip? Such as the North and South Poles?

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Is it instant or quick? Perhaps a gradual process? I read an article about an ancient tree supposedly containing evidence of the poles flipping and got me curious

Comments

  1. deadfisher Avatar

    It’s instantaneous in a geological timeframe… but that actually means it takes between 50-1000 years. Hard to say. 

    We might currently be in the middle of a shift right now, the north pole has been moving faster since the mid 90s.

    It also might mean trouble if we lose the protection of the magnetosphere. x.x