The Earth’s Magnetic Field: A dynamic shield facing a potential reversal

Science / Geosciences

Despite its crucial role in sustaining life on Earth, our understanding of the magnetic field remains limited. The absence of a physical model that can explain the phenomena observed in the Earth’s magnetic field is primarily due to the challenges in accessing the Earth’s core. Current research seeks to meticulously reconstruct the past behavior of the field, a task that proves difficult with existing methods. In an unconventional approach, we plan to utilize stalagmites, a type of rock typically found inside caves and seldom used in these studies. The magnetic minerals in stalagmites can provide insights into variations in the magnetic field’s intensity, declination, and inclination. Our goal is to narrate the history of the Earth’s magnetic field over the past 10,000 years and contribute to answering a pressing question: Are we on the brink of a magnetic field reversal?

Amount invested

Grant 2019: R$ 98.340,00
  • Topics
  • Earth's core
  • Magnetic field
  • Stalagmites