Open AccessPalaeomagnetic Evidence about the Source of the Geomagnetic Field
Author(s) -
Wilson R. L.,
Dagley P.,
McCormack A. G.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1972.tb06124.x
Subject(s) - earth's magnetic field , dipole , orientation (vector space) , geophysics , magnetic dipole , geomagnetic pole , geology , moment (physics) , position (finance) , field (mathematics) , field strength , physics , magnetic field , geodesy , classical mechanics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , finance , pure mathematics , economics
Summary The availability of a large body of palaeomagnetic data from Eastern and Western Iceland has made possible several deductions about the nature of the source of the geomagnetic field. We conclude that the assumption of a centred dipole source leads to a simple and reasonable time‐average dependence of absolute dipole strength on dipole orientation (dipole moment on pole position). The relationship is nearly axially symmetrical, and provides natural definitions of ‘normal’ and ‘reversed’ fields. The normal state has been more stable over the past 12 My than the reversed state. The dependence of time‐average dipole strength on dipole orientation provides a considerable constraint on any postulated mechanism for field generation, although it does not necessarily give direct insight into the behaviour in the core.