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The nondipole (ND) field is that part of the internal geomagnetic field remaining after the major geocentric dipole contribution has been removed. It is distinct from the nonaxial‐dipole (NAD) field for which only the component of the geocentric dipole that is parallel to Earth's rotation axis is subtracted. Figure N4a/Plate 4a shows the strength of the total scalar field at Earth's surface, with the spatial variations dominated by the dipole field, while in Figure N4b/Plate 4b the dipole contribution has been subtracted to reveal the substantially more complex nondipole field. Two source regions contribute to the ND field: the dynamo in Earth's core that is also responsible for the dipole part of the geomagnetic field produces the largest part; the other source is Earth's lithosphere (see Crustal magnetic field ). Nondipole field contributions are significant, but contribute only a small fraction of the average magnetic energy at the surface, as can be seen in Figure N5a, which shows ,...

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Constable, C. (2007). Nondipole Field. In: Gubbins, D., Herrero-Bervera, E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4423-6_221

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