The Earth’s Magnetic Poles To Switch<BR>Movie: <i>The Core</i>

The CORE

Grade Level: Grade 7-12, college

Subject: Science

Keywords: The Core, The Core the movie, nuclear planet, J. Marvin Herndon, natural nuclear fission reactors, magnetic field of Earth, Earth magnetic field, reversing the Earth’s magnetic fields, reverse polarity of earth’s poles, geophysicist, teaching with film, movies in the classroom, ClassBrain

Author: Cynthia Kirkeby

Affiliation: ClassBrain, Inc.

Date: 18 May, 2003

Duration: 1-2 class periods

Film: The Core

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for for sci-fi life/death situations and brief strong language.

Film Information From IMDb.com: The Core

Background

What would happen if the earth’s core stopped rotating?
This question forms the premise for the movie, The Core.

The earth’s magnetic field could apparently collapse. The resulting chaos could include colossal lightning storms, massive earthquakes, computers going crazy, and animals losing their ability to navigate. Apparently, this may have happened on the Earth every 200,000 years or so. It’s been over 700,000 years, however, since the last time it happened, which makes us very overdue for the next shift.

The scientific advisor on the film was J. Marvin Hernadon, a notable geophysicist.

Projects

Project One: Watch The Core. Write a paper outlining which events occuring in the film appear scientifically plausible and which ones appear implausible. Research the possibilities using the Internet links below. Support your arguments.

Project Two: Research the phenomena related to the changing polarity of the earth’s magnetism. Make a chart of all of the catastrophic changes that could take place the next time the polarity changes.

Project Three: Draw a cutaway diagram of what the earth looks like from its surface to the inner core. Be sure to label each of the parts and color each one. Design a key that shows the various geologic layers and structures.

Learning Links

The Core
View the trailer for the film, find out about the crew in the movie or the one that created the film, watch video clips and interviews, and investigate the effect something like this would have on mother nature.
Source: Paramount Studios

Nuclear Planet
This site about natural nuclear fission reactors, and nuclear geophysics was created by J. Marvin Herndon, the scientific advisor for the Core.
Conversation for Exploration
You can listen to audio clips, as well as read this interview with J. Marvin Herndon.
Source: The Laura Lee Show

Teaching About The Earth’s Magnetism
This is an excellent tutorial on the Earth’s magnetism. This is the final section of 3-part series, which deals with the earth’s core and the magnetic poles. Don't stop there, however, because the first two parts are equally fascinating.
Source: Dr. David P. Stern

Putting a New Spin on Earth's Core
Read this fascinating article about the Earth’s core and its magnetic fields.
Source: Harvard University Gazette

Earth's Poles Begin Magnetic Reversal
It looks as though it’s time for the poles to shift again. Will it happen quickly or will it take thousands of years? How will this effect the Earth? Find out the answer and more.
Source: The Antarctic Connection