Various theories have surfaced on the Internet and elsewhere regarding a future shift in the Earth's poles. Many of these theories place the date at December 21, 2012, with a connection to the Mayan Calendar. While Earth's magnetic poles can and do shift, the process is gradual, and there is no scientific evidence to suggest that this will occur in the near future. Other apocalyptic theories claim that Earth's geographic poles will reverse, causing Earth's rotation to do likewise; however, unlike the magnetic poles, a reversal of the geographic poles is physically impossible.
The Science
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Fast Facts
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Fact:
Earth's magnetic field is generated by processes within Earth itself
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Fact:
The polarity of Earth's magnetic field reverses itself periodically
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Fact:
External forces such as the solar wind cannot affect the internal dynamo that powers Earth's magnetic field
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Fact:
Earth's magnetic field is presently weakening by about 5% per century
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Fact:
Cornell University refutes any significance to Mayan Calendar
