Why does the earth have a magnetic field?

Question

Why does the earth have a magnetic field?

Answer 1

Because it felt like attracting metal...

Answer 2

Earth has a magnetic field to protect us from solar winds.

If the earth didn't had a magnetic fied it would proberly be bombared with harmfull radiation from space and the earth would be simaler to mars.

Answer 3

To allow animals like birds and turtles to find their way around the world during migration period.

Answer 4

since the kernel contains iron

Answer 5

So paper clips will not fall off.

Answer 6

The earth has a magnetic field pointing almost north-south—only 11.5° off. This is an excellent design feature of our planet: it enables navigation by compasses, and it also shields us from dangerous charged particles from the sun. It is also powerful evidence that the earth must be as young as the Bible teaches.

In the 1970s, the creationist physics professor Dr Thomas Barnes noted that measurements since 1835 have shown that the field is decaying at 5% per century1 (also, archaeological measurements show that the field was 40% stronger in AD 1000 than today2). Barnes, the author of a well-regarded electromagnetism textbook,3 proposed that the earth’s magnetic field was caused by a decaying electric current in the earth’s metallic core (see side note). Barnes calculated that the current could not have been decaying for more than 10,000 years, or else its original strength would have been large enough to melt the earth. So the earth must be younger than that.

http://creationontheweb.com/content/view...

On the other hand, maybe it all just came about by blind chance and random processes. Yes that makes much more sense. Silly me for thinking creation shows evidence of design!

Answer 7

The earth has a magnetic field due to liquid metal (iron and nickel) in the outer core.  This liquid metal forms convection currents (circular currents formed from cooling from the inner core).  These currents tend to form in greater number parallel to the axis of rotation of the earth in a similar way that whirlpools will form in your bath tub.  These swirling eddies of liquid metal generate a magnetic field in a similar way to a dynamo in an electric motor.  These magnetic fields all combine to provide the earth's magnetic field.  Many tend to cancel each other out since the Earth is spherical and the eddies are in all different directions.  Since there are many fields that form parallel to the axis of rotation, we tend to have a net magnetic field that has poles at the north and south pole.  It seems to be in the process of reversing polarity.  That is a process that takes hundreds of years.