Cataclysmic pole shift hypothesis

"Polar Shift" redirects here. For the book, see Polar Shift (novel). For the music compilation, see Polar Shift (album).
This article is about the hypothesis of pole shift in its historical context. For a description of the modern scientific understanding, see True polar wander. For magnetic poles, see Geomagnetic reversal. For the periodic motions of Earth's axis, see Axial precession.

The cataclysmic pole shift hypothesis is a pseudo-scientific claim that there have been recent, geologically rapid shifts in the axis of rotation of Earth, causing calamities such as floods and tectonic events[1] or relatively rapid climate changes.

There is evidence of precession and changes in axial tilt, but this change is on much longer time-scales and does not involve relative motion of the spin axis with respect to the planet. However, in what is known as true polar wander, the Earth rotates with respect to a fixed spin axis. Research shows that during the last 200 million years a total true polar wander of some 30° has occurred, but that no rapid shifts in Earth's geographic axial pole were found during this period.[2] A characteristic rate of true polar wander is 1° or less per million years.[3] Between approximately 790 and 810 million years ago, when the supercontinent Rodinia existed, two geologically rapid phases of true polar wander may have occurred. In each of these, the magnetic poles of Earth shifted by approximately 55° due to a large shift in the crust.[4]

  1. ^ Kiger, Patrick J. Ends of the Earth: Shifting of the Poles. Archived from the original on 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2009-11-22. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference jgr107_b11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference jgr90 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Maloof, Adam C.; et al. (2006). "Combined paleomagnetic, isotopic, and stratigraphic evidence for true polar wander from the Neoproterozoic Akademikerbreen Group, Svalbard, Norway". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 118 (9): 1099–1124. Bibcode:2006GSAB..118.1099M. doi:10.1130/B25892.1.