{"id":413412,"date":"2020-01-22T15:21:11","date_gmt":"2020-01-22T20:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=413412"},"modified":"2022-06-27T15:23:49","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T19:23:49","slug":"new-research-unlocks-clues-about-earths-magnetic-field-413412","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-research-unlocks-clues-about-earths-magnetic-field-413412\/","title":{"rendered":"New research unlocks clues about Earth\u2019s magnetic field"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deep within Earth, swirling liquid iron generates our planet\u2019s protective magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is vital for life on Earth\u2019s surface: it shields the planet from harmful solar wind and cosmic rays from the sun.<\/p>\n

Given the importance of the magnetic field, scientists have been trying to figure out how the field has changed throughout Earth\u2019s history. That knowledge can provide clues to understanding the future evolution of Earth, as well as the evolution of other planets in the solar system.<\/p>\n

New research from the University of Rochester<\/a> provides evidence that the magnetic field that first formed around Earth was even stronger than scientists previously believed. The research, published in the journal PNAS<\/a><\/em>, will help scientists draw conclusions about the sustainability of Earth\u2019s magnetic shield and whether or not there are other planets in the solar system with the conditions necessary to harbor life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis research is telling us something about the formation of a habitable planet,\u201d says John Tarduno<\/a>, the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences<\/a> and Dean of Research for Arts, Sciences & Engineering at Rochester. \u201cOne of the questions we want to answer is why Earth evolved as it did and this gives us even more evidence that the magnetic shielding was recorded very early on the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earth\u2019s magnetic field today<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Today\u2019s magnetic shield is generated in Earth\u2019s outer core. The intense heat in Earth\u2019s dense inner core causes the outer core\u2014composed of liquid iron\u2014to swirl and churn, generating electric currents, and driving a phenomenon called the geodynamo, which powers Earth\u2019s magnetic field. The currents in the liquid outer core are strongly affected by the heat that flows out of the solid inner core.<\/p>\n

Because of the location and extreme temperatures of materials in the core, scientists aren\u2019t able to directly measure the magnetic field. Fortunately, minerals that rise to Earth\u2019s surface contain tiny magnetic particles that lock in the direction and intensity of the magnetic field at the time the minerals cool from their molten state.<\/p>\n

Using new paleomagnetic, electron microscope, geochemical, and paleointensity data, the researchers dated and analyzed zircon crystals\u2014the oldest known terrestrial materials\u2014collected from sites in Australia. The zircons, which are about two-tenths of a millimeter, contain even smaller magnetic particles that lock in the magnetization of the earth at the time the zircons were formed.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Zircon crystals are only about two-tenths of a millimeter and contain even smaller magnetic particles. Here, for scale, a zircon crystal is pictured inside the “O” printed on a dime. (University of Rochester image \/ John Tarduno)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earth\u2019s magnetic field 4 billion years ago<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Previous research by Tarduno<\/a> found that Earth\u2019s magnetic field is at least 4.2 billion years old and has existed for nearly as long as the planet. Earth\u2019s inner core, on the other hand, is a relatively recent addition: it formed only about 565 million years ago, according to research published by Tarduno and his colleagues earlier this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While the researchers initially believed Earth\u2019s early magnetic field had a weak intensity, the new zircon data suggests a stronger field. But, because the inner core had not yet formed, the strong field that\u00a0originally developed 4 billion years ago must have been powered by a different mechanism.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think that mechanism is chemical precipitation of magnesium oxide within Earth,\u201d Tarduno says.<\/p>\n

The magnesium oxide was likely dissolved by extreme heat related to the giant impact that formed Earth\u2019s moon. As the inside of Earth cooled, magnesium oxide could precipitate out, driving convection and the geodynamo. The researchers believe inner Earth eventually exhausted the magnesium oxide source to the point that the magnetic field almost completely collapsed 565 million years ago.<\/p>\n

But the formation of the inner core provided a new source to power the geodynamo and the planetary magnetic shield Earth has today.<\/p>\n

A magnetic field on Mars<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThis early magnetic field was extremely important because it shielded the atmosphere and water removal from the early Earth when solar winds were most intense,\u201d Tarduno says. \u201cThe mechanism of field generation is almost certainly important for other bodies like other planets and exoplanets.\u201d<\/p>\n

A leading theory, for instance, is that Mars, like Earth, had a magnetic field early on in its history. However, on Mars, the field collapsed and, unlike Earth, Mars did not generate a new one.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce Mars lost its magnetic shielding, it then lost its water,\u201d Tarduno says. \u201cBut we still don\u2019t know why the magnetic shielding collapsed. Early magnetic shielding is really important, but we\u2019re also interested in the sustainability of a magnetic field. This study gives us more data in trying to figure out the set of processes that maintain the magnetic shield on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Read more<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\"artist
\nEarth\u2019s inner core is much younger than we thought<\/strong><\/a>
\nRochester researchers have gathered the first field data that show the Earth\u2019s inner core is only about 565 million years old\u2014relatively young compared to the age of our 4.5-billion-year-old planet.<\/span><\/div>\n
\"artist's
\nEarth\u2019s magnetic field fluctuations explained by new data<\/strong><\/a>
\nUsing new data gathered from sites in southern Africa, researchers have extended their record of Earth\u2019s magnetic field back thousands of years to the first millennium.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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