Archaeological remains from 3,000 years ago reveal rare events that occurred in the Earth's magnetic field

To the surprise of many, an old brick is able to tell us more stories than we think.

he magnetic field The Earth protects us from radiation coming from space, and in addition, it is responsible for our ability to observe phenomena such as the northern lights and interact with different layers of the atmosphere. Now, thanks to some old bricks, we can find out too Past storyfull of Strange events.

Brick that tells us about the Earth's magnetic field

An article published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences He invites us to discover how Archaeological remains from 3000 years ago can help reveal the the changes Which happened in magnetic field Earth, in a branch of science called “Archaeomagnetism”.

Ancient Mesopotamian bricks record 3,000-year-old geomagnetic anomaly | Old assets https://t.co/8urEmhSfMq

– Morgan Fairchild (@morgfair) December 26, 2023

Because the Earth's magnetic field becomes stronger or weaker over time, these changes leave their mark on those minerals that are sensitive to this field. a team Researcherscoming from University College LondonAnd it happened Magnetic signature analysis Found at 32 Brick Which was discovered in ancient Mesopotamia, which currently occupies Iraq.

Each of these had bricks King's inscription For this civilization, in this way, it is easy to know which era each brick belongs to, and thus, to be able to make Temporary map than it was Earth's magnetic field In the era when Mesopotamia was one of the most advanced regions on the planet.

Digging for Magnetic Clues – Archeology sheds light on magnetic moments of the pasthttps://t.co/eEcDkgrRJ3 #Chalk #my place #maps drawing #armies #archeology #Archaeologicalmagnetism #Spatial analysis #Spatial temporality #Ancient #changes #Magnetism #Earthmagnetism #magnetic field pic.twitter.com/Mr3rycnFV1

– Greg Cocks 🇺🇦 (@gregcocks_kiwi) March 21, 2022

This takes us to a period of time between 1050 and 550 BC, which is known as Iron Age anomalies in the Levanta Historical moment That the Earth's magnetic field was really strong, but its origin so far was a puzzle. And we're not just talking about the current region of the Middle East, as this anomaly has also apparently been discovered in places like China, Bulgaria, and the Azores.

Thanks to existence Iron oxide granules In these bricks, it was possible to use Magnetometer To know the strength of the magnetic field in that era, discovering that it could change radically over short periods of time. Lisa TuxAffiliated with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the United States, It states Which:

The Earth's magnetic field is one of the most mysterious phenomena in Earth sciences. Dated archaeological remains from the rich cultures of Mesopotamia, especially bricks inscribed with specific kings, provide an unprecedented opportunity to study changes in field strength with high resolution, tracing changes that occurred over several decades or even less time.