Geomagnetism and Palaeomagnetism

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How do I get started? Research at Victoria Employment

Did you know that Earth’s magnetic field changes with time? It even reverses sometimes! If you could travel in a time machine to millions of years in the past you might well find your compass points the wrong way. Geophysicists Dr. Gillian Turner and Dr. Malcolm Ingham at Victoria University study Earth’s electrical and magnetic properties, past and present, and its implications for our understanding of our environment.

How do I get started?

If you are interested in geomagnetism and palaeomagnetism (the history of Earth’s magnetism from magnetism remaining in rocks from past times), you can get started at Victoria University. After the stage one physics course, PHYS 114, you can jump into PHYS 209: Physics of the Earth and Planets, and then go on with stage two and stage three physics and geophysics courses. Undergraduate and honours students often participate in 20 February, 2009;

Research at Victoria

Dr. Malcolm Ingham is carrying out electrical and electromagnetic studies of Earth conductivity at Mount Ruapehu and other locations. Dr. Gillian Turner is carrying out paleomagnetic studies of geomagnetic reversals – how and why they happen and implications for the geodynamo in Earth’s core.

Employment Areas

Geophysicists are employable not only in basic research but also in the oil and mineral extraction industries.