Earth’s ancient magnetic field tagged posts

This is an illustration of ancient Earth’s magnetic field compared to the modern magnetic field courtesy of Peter Driscoll. Credit: Peter Driscoll

New work from Carnegie’s Peter Driscoll suggests Earth’s ancient magnetic field was significantly different than the present day field, originating from several poles rather than the familiar two. Earth generates a strong magnetic field extending from the core out into space that shields the atmosphere and deflects harmful high-energy particles from the Sun and the cosmos. The motion of liquid iron in Earth’s outer core drives geodynamo, which creates Earth’s magnetic field. This motion is driven by the loss of heat from the core and the solidification of the inner core.

But the planet’s inner core was not always solid...