Editor's Summary
13 March 2008
North and south
The habit of the Earth's magnetic field to 'flip' every now and again remains somewhat mysterious. But palaeomagnetic and geomagnetic data, together with sophisticated modelling studies, are beginning to explain what's going on beneath our feet. David Gubbins conducts a question and answer session on this and other mysteries of Earth's magnetic field.
News and Views Q&A: Earth science: Geomagnetic reversals
Earth's magnetic field is unstable. Not only does it vary in intensity, but from time to time it flips, with the poles reversing sign. Much of this behaviour remains a mystery, but a combination of geomagnetic observations with theoretical studies has been providing enlightenment.
David Gubbins
doi:10.1038/452165a