You can also spot magnetic anomalies-places with unusually high amounts of magnetism-on the map. As new crust is produced in Earth’s mid-oceanic ridges and the seafloor spreads, they move in recognizable, stripe-like patterns. These stripes are thought to been generated as rock cooled at different points in Earth’s magnetic history and are considered a kind of recording of Earth’s many polar reversals. The map shows magnetic stripes-places that show an alternating pattern of normal and reversed polarities-along the ocean crust. So what does the new map, which uses data from Swarm and its predecessor, Champ, reveal? A lot- in a release, ESA calls it “the highest resolution map of this field from space to date.” Using legacy information from past satellite missions, scientists hope to use it to map the planet’s magnetism in the greatest detail yet.

Scientists suspect that it’s in progress now, and Swarm is part of their attempt to figure out what’s happening with the field.Īs Amos explains, this latest satellite is more sophisticated than past iterations and can view Earth’s magnetic field in higher resolution than ever before. But it’s there every day, and scientists think it’s changing all the time. Geomagnetic reversal (a process during which Earths’ magnetic poles flip position) has happened multiple times during the planet’s long history. It’s hoped that the mission will yield new information about Earth’s magnetic field and why it’s weakening.įew are aware of Earth’s magnetic field on a daily basis-it’s impossible to see or feel without the right tools. Using a trio of identical satellites, Swarm measures magnetism in Earth’s core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere. It was generated using data from the European Space Agency's Swarm mission, which is dedicated to studying Earth’s magnetic field from space. These days, however, these views have become so common most aren't surprised at new satellite maps-unless, that is, it shows Earth’s magnetic field.Īs the BBC’s Jonathan Amos reports, a new map does just that. For decades, satellites have enabled people to peer back at their planet, giving a once unthinkable perspective to what’s going on below.

Flat earth map on usgs