http://www.physorg.com/news75725492.html

Princeton University"s Adam Maloof posits that an eccentric weight of some large object such as a giant volcano would move towards the equator. This is incorrect. Such a movement would increase the instability of the entire planet and momentum would not be conserved.
The eccentric mass would instead move towards a Pole, North, or South.
You can demonstrate this yourself right now if you are wearing jewelry like a class ring. If you spin it at any attitude, the eccentric seal will move to the top and it will spin symetrically.
I would go looking for a large mass near one of the poles, not at the equator, maybe a big hunk of nickel/iron, eh?
"Symmetry will be served"

The one problem with this theory is that scientist have also claimed that the magnetic field changes and from time to time flops from north to south and south to north. If this is in fact true then looking at magnetic particles that drifted down to the ocean floor would seem to be useless. One would never know if the particle’s alignment was twisted by a change in the magnetic poles or from a shift in the earth.

VERY INTERESTING! The melting of the ice cap could be influenced by such a move over time if it is not symmetrical. It could mean pollution of the atmosphere is not the only cause! We DO know the exact magnetic pole wanders. We DO know the earth "wobbles" a bit. Very interesting hypothesis!

E. L. Earnhardt

The first ice age was 2.2-2.3 billion years ago. There was a series of snowball earths as described in the book, "Oxygen, The Molecule that made the world", by Nick Lane.

bugmenot... I though the theory of the magnetic flip was related to a physical flip in the poles of the earth's surface and that there were samples in rocks to confirm. This theory doesn't sound new as a flip makes more sense than a wander or drift or as an outcome of drift. It the outer surface of the earth shifted in relation to inner magnetic layers a flip isn't out of the question as the opposite field of the outer layer could be attracted to the inner layers field to complete the total flip.

A web search of polar flip delivers many results. How is this theory new? Am I missing something? Is it that they were able to peg it to a specific date range?

I've been thinking about this topic ever since I saw something concerning ending date of the Mayan calendar that correlates with a planetary alignment on December 12, 20012 which could have some combination of magnetic forces and accentuate the earth's wobble. Enough to rotate the outer layers from the inner layers and cause a polar flip? Who knows. Hmmmm. Ok, the calendar and alignment thing was on the Discovery channel so consider the source... lol!

I haven't researched the Mayan calendar or planetary alignments on 12, 12 20012 and it's prolly urban folklore or cable tv fodder but evidence of the polar flip, wander, drift theory doesn't sound like anything new.

anyone know the weight of the Yangtze Dam? could this be a problem?

my point was that the magnetic field changes. Its claimed to filp. Its known to drift. Until it is completely understood one could easily assume the magnetic field could shift to any given orientation. Who is to say, simply becuase it is not know to have happened does not mean it hasn't happened.