A mysterious disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field known as the South Atlantic Anomaly is expanding faster than ever, baffling scientists who have tracked it for over a century. Satellite data from the European Space Agency’s Swarm mission shows that the weakened zone—stretching between South America and southern Africa—has grown by an area half the size of continental Europe in just eleven years. The anomaly represents a major dip in the planet’s magnetic field, which shields Earth from harmful solar radiation and cosmic particles. Researchers believe it may be linked to turbulent flows of molten iron deep within Earth’s outer core, roughly 1,800 miles below the surface, that are altering the magnetic field in unpredictable ways. The new findings, published in Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, reveal that the field is weakening more intensely toward Africa than South America, indicating something highly unusual is happening beneath the region.

Geomagnetic expert Chris Finlay of the Technical University of Denmark explained that instead of magnetic field lines emerging from the core as expected, in parts of the South Atlantic they appear to reverse direction—diving back into the core. This reversal may signal deeper disruptions in Earth’s magnetic structure, which is also showing strengthening over Siberia and weakening over Canada. Scientists note that the planet’s magnetic north pole has been rapidly drifting toward Siberia in recent years, adding further complexity to the global magnetic map. While the anomaly poses little immediate danger to human life, it does interfere with satellites, navigation systems, and communications—reminding us how fragile the planet’s natural defenses can be. As the ESA prepares to extend its Swarm mission into the next decade, many are watching this growing rift in the magnetic field with unease, seeing in it another sign that even the Earth itself is groaning and shifting in ways that align with prophetic warnings of global instability.

SOURCE: Futurism