ESSE 1010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Lithosphere, Paleomagnetism, Magnetite

• School: York University
• Department: Earth, Space Science and Engineering
• Course: ESSE 1010
• Professor: Gary Jarvis

Document Summary

A record of the prevailing magnetic field is frozen into rocks at the time they first solidify from the molten state. How do rocks get magnetized: must contain small grains of magnetic minerals, magnetic grains align their atomic dipoles with earth"s magnetic field as they, e. g. magnetite cool from molten magma. Either: (1) the continent is motionless and the magnetic pole moves, or (2) the magnetic pole is motionless and the continent moves, or (3) the magnetic pole and the continent both move (but differently) In all three cases: there is relative motion; the continent and the pole move relative each other.