Research in Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism


Present and Historical Geomagnetic Field:

The magnetic field is measured by ships, ground and aeromagnetic surveys, satellites, and at geomagnetic observatories and these data are used to generate mathematical descriptions and maps of the field at Earth's surface and at the core-mantle boundary. The major part of the geomagnetic field is generated in Earth's core (the geodynamo), but small but significant contributions come from the crust and sources exterior to the Earth. Time variations occur on a broad range of time scales in both the core and external parts of the field, although very rapid internal variations are difficult to detect because of screening by Earth's (somewhat) conductive mantle. External field variations induce secondary fields in the Earth, and these can be used to study the electrical conductivity of the crust and mantle. Current and past projects at IGPP include
  • Development and applicaiton of inverse techniques to model the geomagnetic field at the CMB
  • Theory and/or modeling the field using the frozen-flux hypothesis (with vorticity contraints)
  • Crustal magnetic field studies
  • Mantle induction studies from Ørsted, CHAMP - vector magnetic satellites

    Paleo projects:

    Global Modelling of Time-averaged field and Paleosecular Variation

  • The Holocene, 0-10 ka: Datasets, Time Varying Field Models and CALSxK ...
  • 0-5 Ma Lava Flows: Paleosecular Variations, and the Average Geomagnetic Field

    Paleointensity Studies

    Geomagnetic Reversals - is the geomagnetic field entering a reversal?

    SIO Paleomagnetic Lab

    There is a flourishing paleomagnetic lab at Scripps run by Lisa Tauxe and Jeff Gee . Check out their stuff at the SIO Paleomagnetic Laboratory.

    Signal Processing:

    Deconvolution of Long-Core Magnetometer Measurements
    Spectral analysis of geomagnetic time series
    Vailuluu Seamount temperature time series
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