At the annual conference of the American Geophysical Union, scientists reported that 41 thousand years ago, the refraction of the Earth's magnetic field led to the appearance of aurora borealis at the equator, according to Live Science.

And it took 1,300 years for the magnetic field to return to its "normal" state.

The researchers note that the magnetic fields weakened during the geomagnetic storm, known as the Laschamp event, and the Earth's magnetic field changed its slant. As a result, the flow of high-energy solar particles ceased to be redirected to the North and South Poles.