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Geomagnetic Reversals and the Position of the North Magnetic Pole

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Abstract

THE principal magnetic field of the Earth, often called the dipole field, is thought to be caused by a homogeneous dynamo action in the Earth's fluid core1. The flow pattern in the core is not known, and there is even controversy as to whether it is in a state of turbulence2 or whether the flow pattern is smooth and of a scale comparable with the circulation patterns in the atmosphere and oceans. If the flow is large scale and smooth it must be reasonably complicated, for the most simple flow patterns have too great a symmetry and have been shown definitely not to work as regenerative dynamos3–5.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geophysics and Geochemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

    F. E. M. LILLEY

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  1. F. E. M. LILLEY
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LILLEY, F. Geomagnetic Reversals and the Position of the North Magnetic Pole. Nature 227, 1336–1337 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/2271336a0

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