And so the regions of the country with more of these conducting-type rocks will be more resilient to a magnetic storm. Which means they’re more effective at dissipating storm-induced electric fields. These magnetic storms can occasionally be intense enough to interfere with the operation of high-voltage electricity lines.ĭepending on the geology of a given region, the currents a geomagnetic storm induces in the power lines can destabilize the power grid’s operation and cause damage to (or even destroy) transformers.įortunately some kinds of rock, such as sedimentary formations, are relatively electrically conductive. Love explains that solar flares and other solar-mass ejections that travel through space can slam into Earth’s atmosphere and generate powerful electric and magnetic fields. Such storms can last between one and three days. He’s one of many voices in the worldwide geophysical community warning that geoelectric “perfect storms” will happen-it’s not a question of if, but when. Geological Survey (USGS) in Golden, Colo., and coauthor of the new USGS solar geoelectric hazard study.
Jeffrey Love is a research geophysicist at the U.S.
Those include stockpiling electrical transformers in national strategic reserves. The good news is that a few preventative measures could drastically reduce the damage done when a solar storm hits Earth. A new study about solar-induced power outages in the U.S. electric grid finds that a few key regions-a portion of the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard-appear to be more vulnerable than others.
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