Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-34954086-20120922085545/@comment-34954086-20130317101642

The magnetic field actually does do that. Complete Geomagnetic Reversal is something that happens in a slow process, usually up to 10000 years. This is the equivalent of flipping on a switch.

The Magnetic Field is really one of the most significant factors allowing for our survival as a species, that and the presence of liquid water pretty much. It prevents us from being bombarded by the solar wind which would basically destroy all life as we know it in an instant.

Distubances could easily cause buildups of plasma in the magnetosphere before being streamed off with powerful shocks. This would have an effect on the high atmosphere leading to the tornadoes which can basically come from any distubance. There's also a correlation between the field strength and rainfall.

Magnetic vectors also have significant bearing on convection of magma beneath the earth, hence higher volcanic activity. Volcanic activity lead to Earthquakes and Tsunamis.

Now a full explosion, actually, that would probably be the easiest way of destroying earth with sheer force....

If there were a magnetic field with opposing vectors, (Where earth's point's out positive, it points in negative etc) That were set up counter to the Earth's, it would result in the world being torn apart by itself. While the current form works with a simple dipole set up, keeping the earth intact via a negative line connecting with the positive terminal, this would cause it to behave with a negative side interacting primarily with the negative while the same occurs on the positive end. It would explode from the vertical core first. The equator last.

BTW the fact that you ask this actually does surprise me a fair bit. Did you never watch Day After Tomorrow?