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SUMMARY:What has Earth's magnetic field ever done for us? The role of the 
 geodynamo in creating a habitable planet (Sedgwick Club Conference) - Dr C
 laire Nichols - University of Oxford
DTSTART:20240423T153000Z
DTEND:20240423T160000Z
UID:TALK216067@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Lucas Measures
DESCRIPTION:When considering why Earth is the only known habitable – and
  inhabited – world in our solar system\, its magnetic field is often inc
 luded as one of the many factors resulting in such favourable conditions f
 or life.  This is because magnetic fields protect planetary surfaces from 
 harmful cosmic radiation and prevent the atmosphere from being eroded by t
 he solar wind.  Earth’s magnetic field is generated by the geodynamo\; v
 igorous convection of electrically conductive molten metal in the outer co
 re results in the dipolar magnetic field that surrounds our planet.  We ca
 n use the signals preserved by magnetic minerals in rocks to examine the s
 trength of Earth’s magnetic field back through geological time.  However
 \, this becomes increasingly challenging as metasomatic and metamorphic ev
 ents cause these minerals to be altered or entirely replaced.  Paleomagnet
 ic records suggest that Earth’s magnetic field has been similar in stren
 gth for the last 3.5 billion years.  However\, there are many time periods
  with sparse data\, and the existing data come with many caveats.  New exp
 erimental approaches are now allowing paleomagnetists to revisit Earth’s
  early magnetic field history in a new light by combining magnetic microsc
 opy\, geochronology and petrology.  By recovering more accurate records of
  Earth’s magnetic field strength through time questions such as how the 
 geodynamo behaved prior to the nucleation of the inner core\, and the role
  of Earth’s magnetic field in mediating atmospheric escape\, can be addr
 essed properly for the first time. These observations will be critical for
  determining whether the magnetic field really played a crucial role in cr
 eating habitable conditions on Earth’s surface.
LOCATION:Department of Earth Sciences\, Tilley Lecture Theatre
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