Pole+Shift

=Pole Shift=

The Shifting Poles Theory[[image:http://www.scifun.ed.ac.uk/card/images/left/earth-magfield.jpg width="320" height="239" align="right"]]
The "Shifting Poles Theory" was introduced by history professor, Charles Hapgood. Polar wandering is based on the idea that Earth's crust shifts around to different positions, causing continents to move toward and away from the North and South poles. This is different from the theory of "Continental Drift", which claims that the continents move individually.

According to Hapgood and primarily accepted data, a pole shift can take approximately 5,000 years to occur, with 20,000 to 30,000 years of no polar shifting in between. Calculations show that no known polar shift has ever covered more than 40 degrees.

Hapgood's theory is supported by historical facts regarding continental position and climate. If his theory holds true, it would explain how the climate of different sections of the Earth has changed so drastically overtime.

Relevance to 2012 Doomsday
According to the 2012 Doomsday theorists, Earth's magnetic poles are expected to switch positions at an extremely rapid rate. Despite Hapgood's conclusion that polar shifts take thousands of years to occur (covering no more than 40 degrees each time), the 2012 theory suggests that the poles will completely switch places in a matter of minutes!

What is the evidence supporting this claim? The Sun goes through it's own magnetic pole switch once every 11 years, an event known as the solar cycle. The Sun is due for it's next solar cycle in the year 2012, only this time is expected to be different. During the next cycle, Saturn and Jupiter (the two largest planets in the solar system) will be aligned with one another. With the gravitational influence of these two giant planets, it is believed that the Sun's polar shift will cause the Earth's magnetic poles to switch as well. In order for such a drastic polar wander to take place, it would require a huge amount of imbalance to trigger it. 2012 theorists predict that a large asteroid collision will be the cause of this imbalance.

Destruction of Life on Earth[[image:http://2012facts.net/images/pole_shift.jpg width="383" height="219" align="right"]]
The anticipated impact that a pole shift of this magnitude will have on the planet is catastrophic. The magnetic switch will supposedly cause all electronics to shut down, creating a worldwide blackout. The planet will fall victim to electromagnetic storms from the Sun, which will disrupt air travel even before the pole switch occurs.

All energy supplies will be destroyed. Oil spills will pollute the oceans and agricultural land worldwide. Nuclear plants will also be destroyed, forcing large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere.

Most of the planet will experience a drastic climate change. The US and Europe will be thrown into a new ice age, rendering life impossible. There will be huge earthquakes and volcanic eruptions which will leave all buildings in ruins. Tidal waves and storms will destroy all of the Earth's food supply. The damage that is expected to occur will be far more destructive than an atomic war.

Evidence Against the 2012 Pole Shift
It is true that pole shifts have happened before, and they will happen again. However, it is impossible to determine when the next one will occur. Keep in mind that pole shifts take place at approximately 30,000 year intervals. The last shift happened 780,000 years ago, meaning that we've now been overdue for the past 480,000 years. For all we know, the next shift could happen tomorrow, or it might not happen for another 100,000 years. The process also takes 5,000 years to complete, so even if it did begin again in 2012, we would not notice any immediate changes.

The theory of a pole shift occurring as a result of an asteroid collision is not scientifically accurate. Earth has a mass of 6.0x10^24 kg. Even the densest and heaviest asteroid composed of iron and nickel (which includes only 10% of asteroids) would only have a mass of about 4.2x10^15 kg (10^9 kg less than that of Earth). As devastating as it would be for an asteroid of this mass to collide with Earth, it would not have a large enough impact to cause Earth's poles to shift.

As far as the solar cycle is concerned, there is no evidence suggesting that the Sun's magnetic field could affect ours to the point of flipping it. Even if it was possible, then it would make sense for it to happen once every 11 years, since that is how often the solar cycle takes place.

If a planet-mass object or an extremely large magnetic field were to come into contact with Earth, that could cause a disruption in Earth's magnetic field and cause the poles to change positions. However, there is no evidence that this could actually happen. We would know if we were in danger of colliding with a planet-mass object in 2012. We would also notice the effects of a huge magnetic field that could pose a threat to Earth in the nearby future. With no convincing evidence to back these claims, it is safe to assume that we are not in any danger of a world-ending pole shift occurring in 2012.