Solar micronova risk sparks extinction warning, but mainstream science remains cautious

A space weather expert has warned that Earth could be on the brink of a catastrophic geomagnetic disaster capable of wiping out up to 90 percent of humanity, potentially triggered by a rapid magnetic pole shift linked to a solar micronova. Ben Davidson, founder of Space Weather News, discussed the scenario on the Matt Beall Limitless podcast, describing it as a near-extinction event anchored in a long-running geomagnetic cycle.

Davidson argued that the underlying geomagnetic cycle is well established science, even as the micronova mechanism remains speculative. "Everything we expect to see is unfolding now, confirming we're not just due for this event, it's happening, and it's a massive threat," he told the podcast and has repeated to others. He said the cycle repeats roughly every 6,000 years, with a more extreme iteration about every 12,000 years. He noted that Earth's magnetic field has weakened by as much as 15 percent since the 1800s, reducing our shield against solar and cosmic radiation. He said the North and South Magnetic Poles are racing toward a collision in the Bay of Bengal, and auroras are appearing at unusually low latitudes with frequency rising to 15–20 times in a few years.

The Carrington Event of 1859 remains the benchmark for a storm of this scale. Telegraph systems sparked and operators reported shocks, wires sparked fires, and wireless messages crossed continents. If a storm of that size hit today, observers say it could devastate electric grids, disrupt water, GPS-driven agriculture, and essential services. Davidson told Daily Mail readers that a rapid, global failure could unfold quickly: "Within three days, there's no gasoline at the pump. There's no food at the store," he said, citing U.S. government estimates of a 90 percent population loss within months due to societal collapse.

Central to the discussion is Earth's magnetic field itself. The field is generated by convection in the molten iron of the outer core, a geodynamo process that produces a protective shield against solar and cosmic radiation. The field waxes and wanes as currents shift, and the north-south polar axes drift in response. In the past, excursions have temporarily weakened the field and left traces in ice cores, lava flows and ancient pottery. The Laschamp excursion about 41,000 years ago reduced field strength to roughly five to ten percent of modern levels, an interval linked to ozone depletion, climate shifts and mass die-offs in the geological record. The more recent Noah event around 6,000 years ago produced magnetic signatures in pottery found in Colombia, Korea and Russia, which some researchers associate with a similar polar shift.

Current movements are sharper than in many centuries. The North Pole races toward Siberia at roughly 25 to 37 miles per year, up from six miles per year in older epochs, while the South Pole drifts toward the Indian Ocean. The South Atlantic Anomaly, a widening weak spot over Brazil, is a marker of an unstable core field and can disrupt satellites and radio signals. Davidson said the result is a "shields down" moment that allows more cosmic radiation to reach the surface, contributing to swifter auroral displays at lower latitudes. He noted that the auroras have appeared much more frequently at mid-latitudes in recent years, a contrast with past decades when they were rarer.

Experts caution that while the magnetic field does fluctuate and pole movements are real, the micronova mechanism remains controversial and is not accepted as established science by most researchers. Critics say the "Noah" and "Laschamp" analogies describe ancient events with uncertain parallels to modern solar activity, and that predictions of exact timing on a 10-to-25-year window cannot be substantiated with current data. Still, the broader trend—the field's weakening and pole drift—is well supported by geomagnetic records and ongoing satellite measurements. Scientists emphasize the need for continued monitoring of the geodynamo, space weather, and the resilience of power grids and infrastructure to solar storms.