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The Earth's magnetic field strength was measured by Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1832 [69] and has been repeatedly measured since then, showing a relative decay of about 10% over the last 150 years. [70] The Magsat satellite and later satellites have used 3-axis vector magnetometers to probe the 3-D structure of the Earth's magnetic field.
At this rate of decrease, the field would reach zero in about 1600 years. [4] However, this strength is about average for the last 7 thousand years, and the current rate of change is not unusual. [5] A prominent feature in the non-dipolar part of the secular variation is a westward drift at a rate of about 0.2 degrees per year. [4]
The magnetic field of a magnetic dipole has an inverse cubic dependence in distance, so its order of magnitude at the earth surface can be approximated by multiplying the above result with (R outer core ⁄ R Earth) 3 = (2890 ⁄ 6370) 3 = 0.093 , giving 2.5×10 −5 Tesla, not far from the measured value of 3×10 −5 Tesla at the equator.
The rotation rate of the Earth (Ω = 7.2921 × 10 −5 rad/s) can be calculated as 2π / T radians per second, where T is the rotation period of the Earth which is one sidereal day (23 h 56 min 4.1 s). [2] In the midlatitudes, the typical value for is about 10 −4 rad/s.
A geomagnetic excursion, like a geomagnetic reversal, is a significant change in the Earth's magnetic field.Unlike reversals, an excursion is not a long-term re-orientation of the large-scale field, but rather represents a dramatic, typically a (geologically) short-lived change in field intensity, with a variation in pole orientation of up to 45° from the previous position.
(This definition of magnetic flux is why B is often referred to as magnetic flux density.) [35]: 210 The negative sign represents the fact that any current generated by a changing magnetic field in a coil produces a magnetic field that opposes the change in the magnetic field that induced it.
The discovery indicates that the Earth’s center regularly pauses and reverses its rotation, researchers in China wrote in a study published Jan. 23 in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The dipole model of the Earth's magnetic field is a first order approximation of the rather complex true Earth's magnetic field. Due to effects of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and the solar wind , the dipole model is particularly inaccurate at high L-shells (e.g., above L=3), but may be a good approximation for lower L-shells.