Earth's magnetic field 'simpler than we thought'

摘要

Scientists have identified patterns in Earth's magnetic field that evolve on the order of 1000 years, providing new insight into how the field works and adding a measure of predictability to changes in the field not previously known. The discovery will also allow researchers to study the planet's past with finer resolution by using this geomagnetic 'fingerprint' to compare sediment cores taken from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Results of the research were recently published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.05.022).