University of Cambridge | 2015 Jan 21
[c][attachment=0]NaturalHistoryMuseum_EsquelPallasiteSlab_035485.jpg[/attachment][/c]Hidden magnetic messages contained within ancient meteorites are providing a unique window into the processes that shaped our solar system, and may give a sneak preview of the fate of the Earth’s core as it continues to freeze.
The dying moments of an asteroid’s magnetic field have been successfully captured by researchers, in a study that offers a tantalising glimpse of what may happen to the Earth’s magnetic core billions of years from now.
Using a detailed imaging technique, the research team were able to read the magnetic memory contained in ancient meteorites, formed in the early solar system over 4.5 billion years ago. The readings taken from these tiny ‘space magnets’ may give a sneak preview of the fate of the Earth’s magnetic core as it continues to freeze. ...
Using an intense beam of x-rays to image the nanoscale magnetisation of the meteoritic metal, researchers led by the University of Cambridge were able to capture the precise moment when the core of the meteorite’s parent asteroid froze, killing its magnetic field. These ‘nano-paleomagnetic’ measurements, the highest-resolution paleomagnetic measurements ever made, were performed at the BESSY II synchrotron in Berlin. ...
Long-lived magnetism from solidification-driven convection on the pallasite parent body - James F. J. Bryson et al
- Nature 517(7535) 472 (22 Jan 2015) DOI: 10.1038/nature14114
