Chapter 36, Problem 20A

What are magnetic pole reversals, and what evidence is there that Earth’s magnetic field has undergone pole reversals throughout its history?

To determine

To explain: The magnetic pole reversals and the evidence for the earth’s magnetic field pole reversals throughout history.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

• There is no complete record of any reversal’s history, but on the bases of field behavior mathematical models and on limited evidence from the rocks that retain a mark on the earliest magnetic field present when they are formed.
• The magnetic reversal is the process through which the north pole change into the south pole and the south pole becomes a north pole.

Explanation:

The magnetic reversal is a process in which poles interchange from south to north and vice versa. The earth’s magnetic field undergoes pole reversals due to the presence of magnetism in rock strata. The magnetic field of the ocean floor is measured near the ridge, where the way in which the orientation of the magnetic field of the earth has changed over time is observed.

Conclusion:

The magnetic poles are changed from N-pole to S-pole and S-pole to N-pole and magnetism appears in the rock strata.