Ancient Jar May Hold Clues to the Evolution of Earth’s Magnetic Field

According to the famous scientist Albert Einstein, the formation of Earth’s magnetic field is one of the five topmost vital unanswered concerns in physics, and this is somehow true too. Up to now, no scientist in the world has been able to decipher the mystery of how earth’s magnetic field started. But, this time-honored mystery is soon going to be decoded, by an ancient jar.

A team of international geologists has found a cluster of old pots which are believed to hold clues related to the origin of earth’s magnetic field. According to a research paper published in this week’s edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international team of scientists has reviewed a total of 67 prehistoric jar handles, which were detected by the geologists during a mining project. The old jars, collected during the excavations of Judah – an Iron Age kingdom surrounding the area in the region of Jerusalem between the eighth and second centuries B.C. are expected to pave new paths for the decoding of one of the world’s most important unsolved enigma – the formation and origin of Earth’s magnetic field.

According to the scientists, the Royal logos are entrenched in these handles and are representing the era that dated back 3000 years. The jar is believed to be used for sending something valuable to the king as a tax payment by the potter. But alongside its historical values, scientists also have found that the jars also hold the answer to how the magnetic field of earth ascended and dropped during those ancient centuries.

Some 180 years ago, scientists recorded the continual deterioration of Earth’s geomagnetic field, which pulls out from the core of earth into outer space. The weakening of the magnetic field rose serious concern among scientists regarding the welfare of the biosphere, and this interest led them to analyze the ancient materials. Volcanic rocks and materials hold the information relating to the strength and direction of earth’s geomagnetic field, and hence scientists from the Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and University of California San Diego chose the antique jars and pots as their primary subject of research.

Data concluded from the examination of Judean jar handles confirmed the evolutions and changes in the strength of Earth’s geomagnetic field between the 8th and 2nd centuries BCE. However, the study also confirmed that there is no reason to worry about the undulation of the magnetic field as the process is going on since centuries. The research paper also describes the changes in magnetic field’s strength as a normal process.