Topic: Research News

Researchers from Yale University and others have solved a 600-million-year-old mystery about Earth's magnetic field. They found that the field changed rapidly, but not randomly, during this time.

The Ediacaran Period, which lasted from 630 to 540 million years ago, is often considered one of the most confusing times in Earth's history. During this period, the planet's magnetic field behaved differently than it does today. The field would shift dramatically, much more than usual, and this made it difficult for scientists to use ancient magnetism to reconstruct how continents and oceans were arranged.

Scientists have proposed several explanations for these strange magnetic patterns. One idea is that tectonic plates were moving unusually fast during this time. Another possibility is that the entire planet shifted relative to its spin axis, a process known as

Implications

Researchers from Yale University and others have solved a 600-million-year-old mystery about Earth's magnetic field. They found that the field changed rapidly, but not randomly, during this time.