Researchers have found from rocks found in Greenland that the magnetic field of 3.7 billion years ago had a similar intensity to the current one
Researchers from Oxfordin the United Kingdom, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the United States, have found evidence that the magnetic field of Earth it has existed for at least 3.7 billion years. The study, from which data was collected Greenlandthey may provide clues to the formation of life on Earth.
The magnetic field is one of the factors that made the planet habitable. This mechanism protects the lives of radiation harmful radiation from space and helps keep the oceans and atmosphere stable for long periods of time.
Previous studies had shown that the magnetic field was at least 3.5 billion years old. Adding another 200,000 years to this date indicates that the magnetic field may have played a critical role in making Earth habitable, as this is the period that scientists calculate for the emergence of life.
Scientists suspect that the strength of the magnetic field billions of years ago allowed an atmosphere capable of supporting life and protecting the planet from solar radiation.
Scientists also concluded that Earth’s magnetic field was about the same strength as today. Ancient Earth’s magnitude was 15 microtesla and today’s magnitude is 30 microtesla. The study was published this week in Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.
According to one of the authors of the research, Claire Nichols, even if the strength is half the strength, it is still of the same order of magnitude. “The fact that (the magnetic field) is similar in strength to today indicates that what Earth’s magnetic field is directed at has not changed massively in strength over billions of years,” he says.
Today the generation of the magnetic field occurs through a moving fluid in the outer core of the planet, which is liquid. This results in electric currents capable of generating magnetic field lines.
The rotational motion of the Earth also helps to stretch and twist these lines. This mechanism extends around the planet like a protective bubble.
The findings also raise new questions about how the Earth in ancient times would have been able to form such a robust magnetic field. 3.7 billion years ago, the inner core, which increases the strength of the magnetic field, had not yet solidified. This indicates that there are other ways to create a magnetic field, including for other planets.
Read the full study at Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.
Source: Terra
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