THE CORE OF THE PLANET — Earth's magnetic poles change position every few hundred thousand years.

Earth's rotation around its core generates a magnetic field around the planet. This field creates two magnetic poles. Unlike the the geographical south and north poles which remain affixed, the magnetic poles are constantly shifting.

Writing in The Conversation in January 2017, scientists from the University of Leeds said a reversal of the poles could happen in the next 2,000 years. They warn such events are difficult to predict, but speculate such an event could lead to multiple poles and a weakened magnetic field.

This would allow more radiation to pass through onto the planet and could also impact the planet's electrical and electronic infrastructure.