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Observations and Models of Reversal Transition Fields

  • Chapter
Geomagnetism and Palaeomagnetism

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIC,volume 261))

Abstract

Palaeomagnetic records of reversals are now available from ocean sediments, sedimentary rocks, lavas and intrusions. From these records, it is evident that

  1. (1)

    the reversal in direction of the field takes place over a few thousand years.

  2. (2)

    the reversal in direction is accompanied by a decrease in intensity of approximately an order of magnitude.

  3. (3)

    the reversal defines a period of rapid fluctuation of intensity and direction of the field.

  4. (4)

    zonal harmonics were a dominant aspect of the last reversal. Other aspects of the reversal transition fields are suggested by the data, but are not yet unambiguously established.

The field was not dipolar during the last reversal, but was dominated by zonal harmonics. Models of the transition field geometry which include zonal harmonics and a drifting non-dipole field are able to simulate some aspects of reversals, but we still do not have a satisfying understanding of transition field geometries.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre des Faibles Radioactivités, Laboratoire Mixte CNRS-CEA, Avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    C. Laj

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, University of California, 93108, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    R. Weeks & M. Fuller

Authors
  1. C. Laj
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  2. R. Weeks
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  3. M. Fuller
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    F. J. Lowes , D. W. Collinson , J. H. Parry , S. K. Runcorn  & D. C. Tozer , , ,  & 

  2. Mathematics Department, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    A. Soward

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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Laj, C., Weeks, R., Fuller, M. (1989). Observations and Models of Reversal Transition Fields. In: Lowes, F.J., Collinson, D.W., Parry, J.H., Runcorn, S.K., Tozer, D.C., Soward, A. (eds) Geomagnetism and Palaeomagnetism. NATO ASI Series, vol 261. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0905-2_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0905-2_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6896-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0905-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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