2,000-Year-Old Pottery Just Solved a Magnetic Mystery

WooGlobe

Earth’s magnetic field is weakening — and ancient artifacts might hold the answers. Researchers have uncovered powerful magnetic spikes hidden inside Iron Age relics, revealing a mysterious anomaly that rewrites everything we thought we knew about our planet’s protective shield. Using a technique called archaeomagnetism, scientists are decoding Earth’s magnetic history — and what they’re finding could shape our future. WooGlobe Ref : WGA578365 For licensing and to use this video, please email licensing@wooglobe.com

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00:00Earth's magnetic field is weakening, and ancient artifacts might hold the key to why.

00:05Deep beneath our feet, Earth's magnetic field is generated by molten iron swirling in the outer core.

00:11It shields us from deadly solar radiation, but that shield is fading.

00:15To understand what's happening, scientists turn to a surprising source—Iron Age artifacts.

00:21In the Middle East, researchers found magnetic spikes locked inside pottery and metal from over 2,000 years ago.

00:28These relics captured powerful magnetic surges, part of a phenomenon called the Levantine Iron Age anomaly.

00:35The discovery shocked geophysicists.

00:37The spikes were stronger than anything ever seen in Earth's geologic record, and they had no idea why it happened.

00:43Using a method called archaeomagnetism, scientists now extract tiny magnetic signals from ancient materials.

00:51These fossilized compasses give a detailed timeline of how the magnetic field behaved.

00:55They've revealed that the magnetic field doesn't just weaken—it fluctuates, shifts, and sometimes surges wildly.

01:03And that's a big deal.

01:04Because our planet's magnetic shield is getting weaker again.

01:08Satellites, navigation, and even your phone depend on that shield.

01:12Without it, space radiation could wreak havoc.

01:15If we don't know our magnetic past, we can't predict its future.

01:18And thanks to the magnetic memory inside ancient artifacts, we might finally be able to.

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