New theory suggests magnesium could be the key to understanding Earth's magnetic field
Thursday, January 21, 2016 - 09:21
in Astronomy & Space
(Phys.org)—A pair of planetary scientists has come up with a new theory to help explain the mechanism behind the generation of the Earth's magnetic field. In their paper published in the journal Nature, Joseph O'Rourke and David Stevenson, both with the California Institute of Technology, suggest that magnesium that made its way to the core of the planet during its early history could be the key to understanding how the magnetic field was generated in the past and what drives it in the present. Bruce Buffett with the University of California offers a News & Views piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue.