Tag: Earth’s magnetic field

BusinessManufacturing

UK Rare Earths Refinery Scrapped as Project Shifts to US Amid China Market Dominance

A major UK rare earths refinery project at Saltend has been abandoned as developer Pensana shifts focus to the United States. The decision highlights growing tensions in global critical minerals supply chains and China’s market dominance in the sector.

UK Rare Earths Refinery Project Abandoned

A planned rare earths refinery in the United Kingdom has been scrapped in favor of developing similar facilities in the United States, according to reports. The Saltend chemical park project, which would have given the UK a strategic position in the rare earths industry currently dominated by China, has been officially dropped by developer Pensana.

by Jessica Moore P.E.
Earth Sciences

Earth’s Magnetic Field Warping: South Atlantic Anomaly Expansion Mystifies Scientists

The South Atlantic Anomaly, a weak zone in Earth’s magnetic field, has expanded by nearly half the size of continental Europe since 2014. New research from the European Space Agency’s Swarm satellites reveals mysterious patterns deep within Earth’s core driving this concerning phenomenon.

Scientists are grappling with a mysterious phenomenon as Earth’s magnetic field undergoes dramatic changes that could have significant implications for satellite technology and space operations. Recent research reveals that the South Atlantic Anomaly, a weak spot in our planet’s protective magnetic shield, has expanded substantially since 2014 and intensified since 2020, according to a new study published in Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors.

What Is the South Atlantic Anomaly?

by Jessica Moore P.E.