Geomagnetism.

org
ResearchingtheEarth'smagneticfield

AnAndyWarholMomentforLiverpoolsGeomagnetismGroup?
PostedonOctober9,2015byAndyB

PopartistAndyWarholfamouslystatedthat:Inthefuture,everyonewillbeworldfamousfor15minutes.I
suspectthatyesterdaymaybetheclosestwewillevergettoprovinghimright.

ApaperonwhichIamleadauthorclaimsthatwehavemayhavepinned
downthepointinEarthshistorywhentheinnercorefirststartedtofreeze
atthecentreoftheEarthtobetween1and1.5billionyearsago.Ialready
thoughtthiswasbignewssowasabitdeflatedwhenNaturedecidednotto
runwiththeexcellentpicture(left)createdbyKayLancaster
(cartographerattheUniversityofLiverpool)onitscoverorevenfeatureit
initspressrelease.

Nevertheless,ourexcellentpressofficeratLiverpoolhelpedproducea
greatpressreleasewhichsawastoryfeaturedonthepopular
Phys.orgwebsitefromtheoutsetandanarticleinoneofSpainstop
newspapersElPais.

ThingswereabitslowburningforawhileexceptinIndiaandFinland.Thenthebreakthoughabeautiful
piecebySimonRedfernforBBCnewsonline!IcheckedanditwasevenlinkedtothefrontpageofBBCnews
(thoughyoudidhavetoscrolldownaLONGwaytogetit).

ThiswasquicklyfollowedupbyapieceontheDailyMailwhichourpressofficertellsmeisthemostreadonline
newssiteintheworld.Anumberofotherthingshavefollowedincludingapostononeofmyfavouriteblogs
IFLScience.

Then,justasIwaspackinguptogohome,IreceivedaphonecallfromtheBBCWorldServicewhowantedashort
interview.Iobligedintheeveningandmynervousresponsesairedafewhourslater.Youcanlistentothepodcast
here(itistheverylastfeatureAndfinally).Theyreferbeforeandaftertheinterviewtothefindingasbeing
thatthemagneticfieldismucholderthanpreviouslythoughtincorrectinthisspecificcasebutrelevant
toanotherrecentfinding,albeitonethatLiverpoolpeoplewerenotinvolvedinmaking.

MoreinformativeisapieceIwroteforTheConversation.Therehasonlybeenone,interestingcommentatthe
timeofwritinghopefullythingswillimprove

Asummaryfromourpressofficeindicatesthatthereare39newsoutletsandcountingfeaturingthestoryand
tweetsstillcomingthrougheveryfewminutes.Thecoverageextendsoveratleast11countriesrangingfrom
USAtoChina,ArgentinatoPakistanso,whileIcan,Iamclaiming(brief)worldfameforourresearch!

PostedinUncategorized|Leaveacomment

Howdoweknowthemagneticfieldcomesfrominside?
PostedonJanuary27,2015byAndyB
Recently,IreceivedaninterestingemailfromDmitrywhowrotethefollowing:

AccordingtotheDynamotheoryEarthsmagneticfieldisgeneratedbyrotating,convectingandelectrically
conductingfluidthatmaintainamagneticfield.

Butwhatifitcreatesjustbysolarwinditself?Inthiscasewedontneedtoinventanythingelsetoexplain
magneticfieldsofplanets.Thisprocessissimilartotheprincipleofelectromagnet.

Solarwindmagnetizesplanets.NowmostofitjustfliesawayoftheEarth,butasmallpartofitpassesmainly
throughthenorthandsouthpoles.

ThisphenomenonmaybealsoinvolvedinheatingtheEarthscoreduetotheconductorresistance,inthesame
wayaswireisheatedwhenelectricitypassedthroughit.

Letmetrytorespondtothisonepieceatatime:

AccordingtotheDynamotheoryEarthsmagneticfieldisgeneratedbyrotating,convectingandelectrically
conductingfluidthatmaintainamagneticfield.

SpotonthefluidisintheEarthsliquidoutercoreatadepth2871kmandisconvectingbecauseofthereleaseof
lightelementsbythefreezingoftheinnercorebeneathit.

Butwhatifitiscreatedjustbythesolarwinditself?

Thisisalreadypartlytrue.Asmallproportion(around1%)oftheEarthsmagneticfield(referredtoasthe
externalfield)isproducedbytheinteractionofthesolarwind(chargedparticlesfromthesun)withsimilar
particleswithintheEarthsmagnetosphere.Thispartismuchweaker,morecomplex,andchangesfasterintime
thanthemainpartofthefield.

Inthiscasewedontneedtoinventanythingelsetoexplainmagneticfieldsofplanets.

Aahbutwedo.Venusis,inmanyways,similartotheEarthandreceivesmoresolarwind(beingclosertothe
source)andyethasafieldthatis100,000timesweakerthanEarths.Theexplanation?Nocoredynamo.Andwhy
not?Difficulttosayforcertainbutlikelybecausethecoreisnotcoolingfastenoughtofueladynamoprocess.

Solarwindmagnetizesplanets.

Yesitdoesbuttheeffectisverysmallandrelativelyshallow.Asubsurfaceexplorationtechniqueknownas
magnetotelluricsmeasuresthemagneticfieldinducedinthegroundbyasaconsequenceofelectriccurrents
producedbythesolarwind.Themeasuredfieldvariationsaretypicallyabout0.001nT(nanoTesla)overaperiod
ofhoursandtheresultingelectricalcurrentsgotoadepthofafewtensofkm.Comparethistothemaininternal
fieldwhichhasanintensityatthesurfaceofaround40,000nTandseemstocomefromthecorewithadepthof
nearly3,000km.Itisasmallplayer.

NowmostofitjustfliesawayoftheEarth,butasmallpartofitpassesmainlythroughthenorthandsouth
poles.

Alltruebutthestrongestexternalfieldvariationsarefeltatthepolesbecausethatiswheretheexistinginternally
generatedfieldisthesteepest.Therefore,itisherethatthesolarwindparticlescanmosteasilytraveldownthe
fieldlinesintotheatmosphere.
 File:Artradiationbelts.gif

ThisphenomenonmaybealsoinvolvedinheatingtheEarthscoreduetotheconductorresistance,inthesame
wayaswireisheatedwhenelectricitypassedthroughit.

Theprinciplehere(Ohmicdissipation)iscorrectbut,inpractice,Iwouldexpectthecoreheatingfromthis
processtobevanishinglysmall.Prettymuchalloftheexternalfieldwillbeattenuatedbythecrustandconverted
(dissipated)toheatgeneratednearthesurfacesononewillbelefttopenetratethecore.Evenclosetothe
surface,theheatingeffectisveryveryminorcomparedtothatcomingfromtheEarthsinterior.Abackofthe
envelopecalculationgives,veryapproximately,aheatingrateatafewtensofkmdownofaboutonequadrillionth
ofadegreeCelsiuspersecondfromthesetelluriccurrents.Comparethistonaturalgeothermalgradientsoftens
ofdegreesperkmandyougetthepicturethatthisissmallfryindeed.

IhopethisposthasansweredyourquestionsDmitryandisusefultootherreaders.Iwouldbeveryhappyto
respondtosimilaremails(or,evenbetter,postsonthiswebsite)inthefuture.

PostedinUncategorized|Leaveacomment

Itsbettertoburnoutthanfadeawaywellmaybe
PostedonOctober27,2014byMaxwellBrown

Inarecentpostonthisblog,Prof.RichardHolmeguaranteedusthatafieldreversalwontaffecthumanlifefor
manylifetimestocome.Thisraisesthequestion,howfastcanEarthsmagneticfieldreverse?Arecentarticle
byanItalianFrenchAmericanresearchteam(Sagnottietal.,GeophysicalJournalInternational)hasgarnered
theattentionoftheglobalmediaoverthepastcoupleofweeks(LeMonde,DerSpiegel,phys.org).Inthisstudy
theycalculatethatthefieldcouldchangeveryquickly,justlessthan2degreesperyear,i.e.thefieldcould
completelyflippolaritywithinacentury.Thisisverymuchquickerthanthemajorityofpreviousestimates,which
suggestittakesafewthousandyearsforafliptooccur,andquickerthantherateofdirectionalchangesobserved
today(afewdegreespercentury).Indeed,thereisonlysparseevidenceforsuchquickchangesinthegeological
record,themostnotablebeingareversalrecorded~16MaintheSteensMountainlavaflows,SEOregon,anda
recentexcursion(theLaschamp,~41ka)recordedinsedimentsfromtheBlackSea.TheSteensMountainlavas
wereinitiallycalculatedtorecordchangesinthedirectionofthefielduptoaphenomenal3degreesperday.
However,continuedresearchontheSteenslavasoverthelast30years,headedbyProf.RobCoeattheUniversity
ofCaliforniaSantaCruz,ledhisresearchgrouptorecentlyconcludethataninterestingphenomenainhowthe
magnetizationwasacquiredbytheselavasgaverisetotheseapparentrapidchangesindirection.Thedirectional
changesestimatedfromsedimentsfromtheBlackSeawerequick(halfadegreeperyear),butquiteabitslower
thanthosefromtheSagnottietal.studyandnothinglikeasfastasthoserecordedbytheSteensMountainlavas.

Howdidtheyreachtheirresult?

TheSagnottiteaminvestigatedexposedlakesedimentsintheApennines,Italy,coveringthetimeofthemost
recentgeomagneticfieldreversal,theMatuyamaBrunhesreversal.Somedebateexistsovertheageofthis
reversal,butitoccurredapproximately780ka(thisisanongoingareaofferventresearch).Assedimentsare
continuallydepositedovertimetheycanprovideadetailedrecordofchangesinthegeomagneticfielddepending
onhowmuchmaterialisdepositedperunittime.Withinthesesedimentsareanumberoftephras(ashdeposits
fromvolcaniceruptions),whichcancontainexcellentmaterialforradiometricdating,e.g.,crystalsofsanidine.In
thiscaseresearchersfromtwodifferentlabsusedtheratioofargon40toargon39toestimatetheagesofthe
ashesfromalargenumberofexperimentsonsanidines.TheyfoundtheMatuyamaBrunhesreversallaybetween
twoofthedatedtephrasandbyassumingsedimentationwasconstantbetweentheaverageagesoftheirnewly
determinedtephra,estimatedtheageandthedurationofthereversal.Theresult:directionalchangesofjustless
than2degreesperday.

Doesthismeanthefieldcouldcompletelyreverseinlessthanahumanlifetime?

Changesindirectionarentthewholestory.Althoughobservationsontherateofdirectionalchangeare
interesting,theEarthsmagneticfieldhasanotherimportantcomponent,namelyitsstrengthorintensity.
EvidencetodatesuggeststheintensityofEarthsmagneticfielddecreasesduringareversalandthisdecrease
bracketsthepolarityflip,butmaylastconsiderablylongerthantheflipitself.Itislikelythedecreaseinintensity
ismoreintimatelylinkedtounderlyingprocessesinEarthsoutercorethanthedirectionsthemselves,although
wedontexactlyknowhowthereversalprocessisinitiated.WorkdoneattheUniversityofLiverpoolbymeand
RichardHolme(findhere)suggeststhelengthofthepolarityflipcouldbevariabledependingonthelocationof
theobservation,e.g.,thedurationofthepolarityflipcouldlasttwiceaslonginAustraliaasinItaly,yetthe
underlyingpatternofintensitydecreasecouldbesimilar.Thisobservationissupportedbynumericaland
empiricalmodellingofthereversingfield.Evenifthepolarityflipisshortatsomelocations,theunderlying
processgeneratingfieldreversalscouldbemuchlonger.

InregardstotheabilityofEarthsmagneticfieldtoshieldEarthfromcosmicradiation,itisthestrengthofthe
fieldaswellasitsconfigurationthatisimportant,andthefielddoesntfullyvanishduringareversal.Earths
atmospherealsodoesasterlingjobofprotectingtheEarth.ItisimportanttorememberthegenusHomohave
livedthroughanumberofreversalsandexcursionsofthegeomagneticfield,suchastheMatuyamaBrunhes
reversalandmorerecentlytheLaschampexcursion.

Isitbettertoburnoutthanfadeaway?Somereversalsmaylivehardandfastandothersmaylikethequietlife.

PostedinUncategorized|Leaveacomment

FromRussiawithRocks(andasuitcasefullofprezzies)
PostedonJuly14,2014byAndyB

IMAG0432 IhavejustreturnedfrommyfirsttriptoRussiaandtheMoscowandBorokLabs.There
wasoriginallysupposedtobefieldworkinsouthernSiberiathisSummer:samplingrocks
withthehopetheywouldtellusabouttheEarthsmagneticfield400millionyearsago.However,afewmonths
back,wediscoveredthatmanyofthetargetedsectionshavealreadybeenstudiedbytheMoscowgroup.Thehead
ofthatlabVladimirPavlovinvitedmetovisittodiscusstheworkandIgratefullyacceptedinlieuofthe
fieldwork.ThedecisiontocancelthesamplingtripseemstohavebeenagoodoneVladimirscolleagueAndrey
Shatsillohadbeentherenumeroustimesalreadyandhadastackofdatatoshowmeandasackofsamplesforme
toreturnwith.Healsoprovidedsamplesfromsomeveryintriguingsillsofasimilaragethatgavegooddirections
butwhichwerehighlyanomalous.VladimirandAndreysharedtheiropinionthatthemagneticfieldwasinavery
strangestateatthistimeanintriguinghypothesisripefortestingwiththeequipmentatLiverpoolandBorok.

TatyanaandValerainfrontofMoscowStateUniversity
wheretheybothgraduatedfrom.
InadditiontodiscussingscienceinMoscow,IenjoyedaGeorgianmeal
withVladimirandasightseeingtourgivenbyTatyanaGendlerofthe
institute.Ialsogaveaseminarintheirgrandlecturetheatrewhichwas
translated,slidebyslide,byValeraShcherbakov,aratherfamous
scientistinourareawhohadcomedownfromhislabinthetownof
Borok,350kmtothenorth.AftersomesightseeinginMoscow,I
accompaniedValeraonanovernighttraintoBorokandspentthe
remaining2daysofmytripthere.Incomparisontocosmopolitan
Moscow,BorokandsurroundingareafeltliketheRealRussia.Borok
itselfhasonly2,000inhabitantsbutafascinatinghistoryastheonly
privatelyownedpieceoflandincommunistRussia.Theownerwasratherqualifiedforthishonour,anoblemans
sonwhohadendured28yearsofjailasacommunistrevolutionaryundertsaristrule.Inprison,hehaddeveloped
aninterestinthesciences.HefoundedabiologicalinstituteinBorokandotherresearchcentres,includinga
geomagneticobservatory,followedintheensuingyears.ValeraandhiswifeValentinahavebeendoingresearchat
thepalaeomagneticlabatBorokfor40yearsandtheirgroupcontinuestobeoneofthemostprolificintheworld.

The IhadnevermetValentinaShcherbakovabeforebuthadreadmanyofherpapers.She
Shcherbakov(a)'s hadalreadymeasuredsamplesfromDevoniancollectionsthatIwasinterestedinsowe
ValeraandValentina pooleddataanddiscussedafurthermeasurementplan.Sheprovidedmewithstillmore
Shcherbakov(a)
samplessothatwecancomparedataobtainedusingthedifferentmethodsinplaceat
LiverpoolandBorok.ValentinaandValerawerealsoextremelykindinshowingmethe
localareaandgivinggifts.ItoldthemaboutmywifeswishthatIreturnwithabookofclassicRussianliterature
(inCyrillicscript).Ileftwithfiveincludingtwochildrensbooksformyson.Notonlythis,Valentinahandedmea
beautifulpatchworkquiltshehadmadeherselftogivetoBrigid.Overall,itwasawonderfultripanditwas
fortunatethatIhadarrivedwithmysuitcaseonlyhalffull!

PostedinUncategorized|Leaveacomment

Soisthisit,areweallgoingtodie?
PostedonJuly7,2014byMeganHammond

Todays(7/7/2014)Metronewspaperhasanicearticleinthe Swarm_constellation
MetrocosmsectionbyBenGillilandentitledPortendsof ESAsmagneticfieldmissionSwarm
magnetogeddon.Apartfromtheslightalarmism,its(asusualwith Image:ESA

Ben)prettygood,andImpleasedtoseehimtalkupthemagneticfield
evenmorethanIusuallydo!ItseemstobedrivenbythecurrentESA
satellitemissionSwarm,whichismeasuringthenearEarthmagneticfieldwiththebesteversatelliteinstruments
onthreeseparatespacecraft,withaviewtoseparatingmagneticsourcesexternaltotheEarth(likethesun,
auroralcurrents,andthemagnetosphere)andthoseinternal(fromthecore,andfrommagnetisedmaterialat
Earthssurface).However,muchofthearticleisfocussedonmoregeneralinformation,suchasmagnetic
reversals(wellknowntoreadersofthisblog!)andthepossibleeffectsofweakeningofthefield.Thatthefieldis
droppinginmagnitudeisnotanewresultweveknownthisforacenturyorso,andnowhaveevidencethatthis
hasbeenhappeningforatleast400years(andprobablylonger)butitgetsalotofpublicityeverytimewehave
newmeasurementsIremembersomethingsimilarhappeningwhentherstedmissionwaslaunchedin1999.
Therewasanicedocumentaryonthisover10yearsago,jointbetweenWGBHNovaforPBSinAmerica,and
Channel4intheUKcalledMagneticStorm(MagneticflipintheUK)fromwhichmostoftheinformationis
stillaccurate.Ifyouareinterested,youcanfinditonline.Theissueisthatthemagneticfieldprovidesuswitha
shieldfromharmfulsolarandcosmicradiation,andsoifitweakens(andpotentiallyreverses),thisshieldwould
beweakened.However,theanswertotheinitialquestionis

DontPanic!

(Readersofacertainagemayrecognisethesourceofboththisresponseandtheslightmisquoteofthetitle..)
Theanswerfromthedocumentaryisthatthefieldwillweaken,butnotcompletelydisappear,itisntgoingto
happenforthenext1000yearsorsoifitdoesthen,andevenifitdoes,theprotectivemeasuresrequiredwillbe
nottolieonthebeachinFlorida,andtowearalargefloppyhat!

Whetherthefieldisreversingisnotknown,and(toanextent)notknowable.Wehavemodelsmadefrom
observationaldataandpalaeomagneticmeasurements(somecreatedhereatLiverpool)whichshowthatinthe
last10,000years,themagneticfieldhasbothdecayedmorerapidlythanitisatpresent,andbeensubstantially
weakerthanitisnow,butthenrecovered.Therefore,thecurrentfallinthemagneticfieldcouldbesimplypartof
itsnormalvariation.Thingsarealittlemorecomplicated,asthereisastrongandgrowingfeatureofthewrong
polarityatthesurfaceoftheEarthscoreundertheSouthAtlantic,givingrisetotheweakerareaoffieldthatwe
seeastheSouthAtlanticAnomalywhichcausesoccasionalhavocintheinstrumentsofsatellitesflying
overhead.Thisfeaturecouldbeasignatureofamajorchangeinthefield,butitcouldalsosimplyreflect
rearrangementofmagneticfieldatthecoreifthisbecomesmorecomplicated,itcouldlookweakerfromthe
surfacewithoutthefielditselfactuallygettinganyweaker.

WhatSwarmisreallyforisgettingamuchmoredetailedpictureofsmallscalestructuresinthemagneticfield,
anditsrapidchangesontimescalesofyearssomagneticweather,ratherthantheclimateofafieldreversal.
Hopefully,thiswillgiveusamuchbetterideaofthesesmallervariationsmyinterestisparticularlyin
comparingthesevariationswithchangesinEarthrotation.Ifthisworkissuccessful,wemayyetalsohave
somethingtosayaboutthelongertermdeclineinthefield,althoughIcanguaranteethatthiswontaffectanyone
formanylifetimestocome!

TodayspostwasguestwrittenbyRichardHolme.RichardHolmeis
ProfessorofGeomagnetismattheUniversityofLiverpool.Hisresearch
interestsareinthebehaviourofthemagneticfieldsoftheEarthand
otherplanetsontimescalesofmillisecondstobillionsofyears,and
variationsinEarthrotationandtheirlinktoEarthscore.Heisinvolved
withtheESAgeomagneticmissionSwarm,islookingforwardtoJuly
2016forJunotoarriveatJupiter,2017forCassinitobegincloseorbits
ofSaturn,and2033(?!)forthearrivalofJuiceatGanymede.

RichardHolme

PostedinUncategorized|Leaveacomment

NewpaperinGCubedtoimproveconsistencyinmeasurementsoftheancientmagneticfield
strength
PostedonJune18,2014byAndyB

Geochemistry,Geophysics,Geosystems(G3orGCubed)isanonlineonlyjournaloftheAmerican
GeophysicalUnion(AGU).Itsformatmeansitisperfectforpublishingpaperswithlargesupplementary
informationorappendices.Thatisdefinitelythecaseforthislatestpublication,leadauthoredbyGreigPaterson
aScotsmaninBeijing.

Measurementsofthestrengthoftheancientmagneticfieldrecordedinrocksorarchaeological
materials(palaeointensityorarchaeointensitymeasurements)canbeverytrickytomake.Itwouldtherefore
beveryusefultohavesomeagreementamongstthosepeopledoingtheseexperimentsaboutwhatareliable
measurementlookslike.However,foronereasonoranother,suchconsensushaseludedthecommunityfor
decades.Thispaper,wehope,isasteptowardsrectifyingthat.Itusesthelargestevercompilationof
palaeointensitymeasurementsmadeusingonlymaterialsforwhichweknowwhattheansweris(e.g.fromlavas
thatcooledinrecenttimesduringwhichthemagneticfieldstrengthisindependentlyknownfromobservatory
data).Itthenfindsvariantsofcurrentlyusedselectioncriteriathatarebetteratpickingoutthereliable
measurementsthantheoriginals.Thisstuffmaynotsoundtotheoutsiderasexcitingassay,findinganew
reversal,butitisthetypeofthingthatunderpinspalaeomagnetismasatoolforunderstandingourplanetbetter.
PostedinUncategorized|Leaveacomment

WhatisArchaeomagnetism?
PostedonJanuary31,2014byMeganHammond

Forregularreadersofthisblog,thetermarchaeomagnetismwillhave
beenseenanumberoftimes,mostfrequentlyinpostsbymeorAndy
Herries!

Archaeomagnetismisthestudyofburntmaterialfoundon
archaeologicalsites.Thiscanincludeeverythingfromhearths,fireplaces
andkilnsthroughtotiles,bricksandpottery.Basicallyanythingthathas
beensubjectedtoheatatsomepoint,eitherdeliberately(e.g.thefiring
ofapot)oraccidently(e.g.ifafireburnsdownabuilding,its
PhilippeandValerietakingarchaeomagneticsamples
foundationsandwallsbecomesuitableforarchaeomagneticstudyasa fromaRomanagedachaeologicalsiteinFrance

consequence).

Incertainpartsoftheworld(forspecifictimeperiods),itispossibletodatearchaeologicalsamplesbycomparing
thedeclination,inclinationandintensityvaluesrecordedinthearchaeomagneticsamples(these3valuesdescribe
thegeomagneticfieldvector)withtheknownchangesinthegeomagneticfield.Oneofthegreatthingsabout
archaeomagnetism(inmyopinion)isthevarietyofwaysinwhichyoucanuseit.AssociateProfessoratLiverpool,
AndyHerries,focusesondatingHominidsitesinSouthAfricabydatingspeolotherms(speolothermsarealso
knownasflowstonesandarecreatedthroughthedepositionofcarbonatethroughtime.Stalactitesand
stalagmitesforminthesameway.)seehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21392817.Itisworthnotingthat
inspeolthermstherecordofthemagneticfieldispreservedasachemicalremanantmagnetisationratherthana
thermalremamentmagnetisation.

ImyselfamfocusedontryingtogatherwelldatedarcheointensitydatafromTurkeyforthedualpurposeof
enablingarchaeomagneticdatinginthefutureaswellasallowingustoaccuratelyreconstructchangesinthe
geomagneticfield.Thisworkisveryinterestingbecausetherehavebeenanumberofrecentpaperslinkingsudden
changesinthemagneticfieldwithclimatechangeandcivilisationcollapsee.g.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X06002792.IminvestigatingwhetherIcanseeany
evidenceforthis.
InthispostIhaveonlybrieflymentionedsomeoftheapplicationsofarchaeomagnetism:itisafascinatingfield
withnewmethodsandideasbeingtestedeveryday.

PostedinUncategorized|4Comments

KillerLIPs?Notsofast
PostedonJanuary28,2014byAndyB

Certainmassextinctionevents,includingthelargestever250millionyearsago,havebeenarguedtohavebeen
triggeredbytheeruptionoflargeigneousprovinces(LIPs)humongousplateauxcomprisingstacksoflava
flowsthateruptedinrelativelyshortamountsoftime.

Buthowshortatime?This
isacrucialquestionasthe
atmosphereandoceansare
prettyeffectiveat
processingthegases
associatedwithvolcanic
eruptionsintheshortto
mediumterm.So,unless
theeruptionsoccurvery
closetogether(i.e.just
yearsapart),thereisnot
reallymuchscopeforthem
causingthekindoflong
termclimatechangethat
canwipeoutlarge
fractionsoflife.

HereatLiverpool,wejustpublishedapaperoutlininganewtoolforgettingahandleoneruptionratesbasedon
thesimilarityofthemagneticfielddirectionrecordedincooledlavaflowsthatareontopofoneanother.Thelogic
goes:

theEarthsmagneticfieldischangingdirectionallthetime(whichiswhyyouhavetochangethedeclinationon
yourcompasseveryfewyears)

whenmagmaeruptsandthencools,themagneticmineralsinthenewlyformedrocklockinarecordofthis
direction

ifneighbouringlavaseruptedwithinafewyearsofoneanotherthenthemagneticfielddirectionwillnothave
changedverymuchsothedirectionsrecordedinthemwillbequitesimilar.

Thisisnotanewideabutthepaperpresentsandtestsanewparameterforformallyquantifyingthedegreeofthis
nextneighbourcorrelation.Thenewparameterwasshowntobeanimprovementoverexistingmethodsandits
applicationtolavasfromthe60millionyearoldNorthAtlanticLIPgavesomequitesurprisingresults.There
wasalreadyindependentevidenceshowing,thatinonesectionofthislargeigneousprovince,therewerepauses
betweeneruptionsthatwere,onaverage,severaltensofthousandsofyearslong.Unexpectedly,significant
similaritywasobservedinmagneticdirectionsmeasuredinneighbouringlavasfromthissection.

Recordsofpalaeomagneticstrengthfluctuationsovermillionsofyearshavealreadyhintedthatthemagneticfield
displayssomecorrelationoverhundredsofthousandsofyears(thatis,itmaybeconsistentlystrongerorweaker
onaverageduringoneperiodlastingafewhundredsofthousandsofyearsthatduringanothersimilarlylong
period).Ournewstudyreportsthefirstevidencethatsimilarcorrelationmaybepresentinthemagneticfield
directionaswell.

Whyisthisimportant?Well,inadditiontotellingusmoreabouttheprocessthatgeneratestheEarthsmagnetic
field,italsotellsusweneedtobecarefulinmakingtheargumentthatsimilarpalaeomagneticdirectionsin
adjacentlavaflowsimplyveryfasteruptionrates(ashasbeendonepreviously).Theymaynotand,withthis
requirementforrapidlavaextrusionreduced,someofthelethalityofthekillerLIPscouldbedrawninto
questiontoo.

PostedinUncategorized|Leaveacomment

Aroundupofsomenewsworthygeomagnetismstories
PostedonJanuary23,2014byLauraR

ThisarticlewasoriginallypostedontheEGUBlognetworkforGeologyJenga.

HappyNewYeartoyouall!

ThepastfewweeksandmonthshaveseensomeexcitingnewsworthystoriesregardingtheEarthsmagneticfield.
IthoughtIdhighlightafewofthemforourfirstpostoftheNewYear.

MagneticInteractions2014

FortwodaysinearlyJanuary,allofusattheGeomagLab(well,prettywellallofus)travelledtoCambridge
University,toattendtheUKconferenceforthegeomagnetismcommunity.Thisyeartherewasalsoastrong
internationalpresence.Iwouldusuallywriteablogpostonthehighlightsoftheresearchthatwasbeing
showcasedattheconferencehowever,themeetingorganisersbeatmetoit!Readaboutthesciencebehind
fundamental,appliedrockandmineralmagnetism,aswellas,howanancientvoyagebynaturalistAlexandervon
Humboldtmighthelpusunderstandthegeomagneticfieldpriortothe1800sinthisblogpostbyDr.Richard
Harrison,ofCambridgeUniversity.

LogocourtesyofRichard
Harrison.

LogocourtesyofRichardHarrison.

TheAurorathatneverwas.
Credit:WikimediaCommons,user:UnitedStatesAirForce,ThisimageorfileisaworkofaU.S.AirForce
Airmanoremployee,takenormadeaspartofthatpersonsofficialduties.AsaworkoftheU.S.federal
government,theimageorfileisinthepublicdomain.

On7thJanuary,therewasalargesolarflarewithanassociatedfasttravelingCoronalMassEjection(CME),which
washeadedstraightfortheEarth,andwasexpectedtohitourplanetbythe9thofJanuary.Spaceweather
scientists,themediaandpeopleacrosstheUKandEuropeweregluedtothenightskiesinhopesofseeingaurora
borealisatabnormallysoutherlylatitudes.Perhapstheexcitementsurroundingthepotentialtoobservethese
mysteriousphenomenawasfueled,atleastintheUK,bythetimelyairingofthefirstepisodeofthenewseriesof
StarGazingLive,inwhichtheteam(madeupofProf.BrianCoxandcomedianDaraOBrien)tookonthe
challengetocapturethenorthernlights.

SpaceweatherhasfeaturedheavilyintheUKmediaintherunuptotheChristmas,astheUKgovernment
pledgeda4.6millioninvestmentintheforecastofspaceweather.Fromearlythisyear,theMetOfficewill
forecast,deliveralertsandwarningstokeysectorsthatmightbeadverselyaffectedbysolarflaresandCMEs.

Despitethehype,theskiesdidnotdeliver.AgreatblogpostbyDrGemmaKelly,atthegeomagnetismteamofthe
BritishGeologicalSurvey,explainsthereasonsbehindwhytheNorthernlightsdidntquitehappen!

Formoreinformationonsolarflares,CMEsandwhytheyareimportant:havealookatmyguestblogpostfor
GeoSphereontheEarthsprotectiveshieldandalsotheinformationpagesoftheBritishGeologicalSurvey.

PostedinUncategorized|Leaveacomment

Themagneticfieldisfluctuatingasitfalls
PostedonOctober31,2013byAndyB

WejustpublishedanewpaperleadauthoredbyLennartdeGrootatUtrechtUniversitywhojustrecentlygothis
PhDCumLaude(quiteadistinction).

ThepaperisonlinehereandIvetriedtosummariseitbelow.

TheEarthsmagneticfieldasseenatEarthssurfaceisabout90%explainedbyadipoleasinglenorthpole
oppositeasinglesouthpolethesameasabarmagnet.Thedipoleisnotstationarybutmovesaroundand
fluctuatesinintensityovertime.Occasionallyitcollapsesaltogetherandgrowsbackwiththeoppositepolarity
thisiscalledageomagneticreversal.Thelastreversalhappened780,000yearsagobuttherehavebeenmany
morerecentcollapses(geomagneticexcursions)thathaventresultedinreversals.

Thedipolehasbeenweakeningsteadily(nearly10%)sincethefirstmeasurementsbeganin1840ADcausing
sometospeculatethatwemightbeheadingforanewcollapsewhichwouldbebadnewsasmagneticstorms
mightthenbecomemoresevere.Tounderstandthisrecentdecline,weneedtoputitincontextofmagneticfield
 behaviourbefore1840andforthiswehavetoturntoaccidental
records.Thebestofthesearepreservedinbakedarchaeological
materials(e.g.potteryandkilnlinings)butthesearerestrictedto
locationswherecomplexcivilizationsexistedandthisleaveslargeareas
oftheglobeundocumented.

TwooftheauthorsLennartandMarkonthetopofMt
Etnain2008.
Recordsarealsopreservedinvolcanicrocksthathavecooledfrom
magmabutthesearegenerallymuchnoisierthanthearchaeological
onesbecausethelavashavelessidealmagneticpropertiesthando
pottery.Ourstudyhasmanagedtouseacombinationofnewandold
methodstoproduceanewhighqualityrecordfromHawaiianlavas
informingusaboutthebehaviourofthefieldinthesparselypopulated
Pacificregionfromaround500ADtothepresent.

Combiningthisnewrecordwithotherhighqualityrecordsfrom
archaeologicalmaterialsrecoveredfromWEurope,Japan,SWUSAproducesaninterestingpicture(seefigure).
Asalreadythought,therecentdeclineappearstobeacontinuationofadecliningtrendgoingonatleast1,000
year.However,aswellasthisdeclinetherearealsoperiodsofsharplyincreasedintensityin3oftherecords
(Hawaii,WEurope,SWUSA)butcruciallytheseareatdifferenttimesindifferentplaces(andthereisnosuch
peakinJapan).Thesefluctuations,thoughlarge,cantbeexplainedbythedominantdipolepartofthemagnetic
fieldasthenyouwouldseethemeverywhere.Theymustratherbeduetothenondipolefieldbecomingregionally
veryimportantinawaythatwehavenotseensincewehavebeenmakingdeliberaterecords.

Themagneticfieldisgenerated
bytheflowofelectrically
conductingliquidintheEarths
outercoreandallofthese
changesreflectthechaotic
natureofthisflow.Inadditionto
producingrecordssuchasthese,
thechallengeliesinproducing
believablemodelsofcoreflowto
explaintheobservationaldata.
Thismighteventuallybeuseful
tohelppredictfuturemagnetic
fieldbehaviour.

Recordsoftheestimatedstrenghofthemainaxialdipolecomponentofthemagneticfieldfromdifferentlocations

PostedinUncategorized|Leaveacomment