"The shield that protects the Earth from solar radiation is under attack from within. We can't prevent it, but we ought to prepare…" is the ominous sub-headline of a worrisome new report that shows scientists around the world fearing that the earth's magnetic field is shifting, with potentially disastrous consequences for mankind.

"When next the poles change places, the consequences for the electrical and electronic infrastructure that runs civilization will be dire. The question is when that will happen."

As SHTFplan.com's Mac Slavo notes, scientists from the University of Colorado in Boulder are sounding the alarm that the Earth's magnetic poles are showing signs of reversing. Although the pole reversal, in and of itself, isn't unprecedented, the solar winds that would take out the power grid and make parts of the globe uninhabitable could cause widespread disasters.

The Earth has a fierce molten core that generates a magnetic field capable of defending our planet against devastating solar winds.  This magnetic field is vital to life on Earth and has weakened by 15 percent over the last 200 years. This protective field acts as a shield against harmful solar radiation and extends thousands of miles into space and its magnetismaffects everything from global communication to power grids.

Historically, Earth's North and South magnetic poles have flipped every 200,000 or 300,000 years. However, the last flip was about 780,000 years ago, meaning our planet is well overdue.  The latest satellite data, from the European Space Agency's Swarm trio which monitors the Earth's magnetic field, suggest a pole flip may be imminent.  The satellites allow researchers to study changes building at the Earth's core, where the magnetic field is generated. Their observations suggest molten iron and nickel are draining the energy out of the Earth's core near where the magnetic field is generated. While scientists aren't sure why exactly this happens, they describe it as a "restless activity" that suggests the magnetic field is preparing to flip.