American Physical Society
American Physical Society Sites|APS|Journals|PhysicsCentral|Physics
 
Become an APS Member|Contact Us

Division of Computational Physics

  • Governance
  • Meetings
  • APS Fellowship
  • Prizes & Awards
  • Careers & Jobs
  • Research Gallery
  • External Links

Email Email   Print Print     Share Share
DCOMP Home   |   Research Gallery   |   The Geodynamo

The Geodynamo


Gary A Glatzmaier, University of California, Santa Cruz

geofieldWe illustrate the three-dimensional structure of the simulated geomagnetic field generated in the Earth's convecting fluid core. Our geodynamo simulations now span more than a million years, using an average computational time step of about 15 days. At the surface of our model Earth, the simulated magnetic field has an intensity, an axial dipole dominated structure, and a westward drift of the non-dipolar structure that are all similar to the Earth's. In addition, several spontaneous reversals of the magnetic dipole polarity have occurred during our simulations, similar to those seen in the Earth's paleomagnetic record.

APS Home | APS Units | Terms of Use     © 2013 American Physical Society