UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS
B.Sc. DEGREE COURSE IN GEOPHYSICS
SEMESTER SYSTEM WITH CREDITS
(Effective from the Academic Year 2003-2004)

SYLLABUS

Semester VI - Application Oriented Subject III - Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism

Duration: 3 hrs
Maximum Marks: 100
Credits: 4

Unit I

Historical introduction - the discovery of magnetism - Pioneering studies in terrestrial magnetism - the physical origins of magnetism.

Unit II

The Physics of Magnetism - introduction - Coulomb's law for magnetic poles - the magnetic dipole - the magnetic field of an electrical current - Magnetization and the magnetic field inside a material - the magnetic properties of materials - Magnetic anisotropy.

Unit III

Rock Magnetism - the magnetic properties of rocks - the ternary oxide system of magnetic minerals - Other ferromagnetic minerals - Identification of Ferromagnetic minerals Grain size dependence of ferromagnetic properties - Remnant magnetization in rocks.

Unit IV

Geomagnetism - Introduction - Separation of the magnetic fields external and internal origin - the magnetic field of external origin- the magnetic field of internal origin - Secular variation - Origin of the dipole field - Origin of the non dipole field - Magnetic fields of the Sun, Moon and Planets.

Unit V

Magnetic surveying - the magnetization of the Earth's crust - Magnetometer - Magnetic Surveying - Reduction of magnetic field measurements - Magnetic anomalies - oceanic magnetic anomalies - Paleomagnetism - the time averaged geometric field - Methods of paleomagnetism - Paleomagnetism and tectonics - Geomagnetic polarity - Magnetostratigraphy in lavas and sediments - Marine Magnetic anomalies and geomagnetic polarity history - Geomagnetic polarity history - Geomagnetic polarity time scales - Frequency of polarity reversals.

Books Recommended

1. Fundamentals of Geophysics by William Lowrie, Cambridge University Press, 1997.

2. Magnetostratigraphy by Haiwood, E.A., Geological Special Report, Blackwell Scientific Publishers., Oxford, 1989.

3. Paleomagnetism: Magnetic domains to geologic terranes by Butler, R.F., Blackwell Scientific Publishers, Oxford, 1992.

4. Paleomagnetism and its Application to Geological and Geophysical Problems by Irving, E., John Wiley & Sons, New York., 1964.

5. Paleomagnetism and Plate Tectonics by McElhinney, M.W., Cambridge University Press, 1973

6. Paleomagnetism: Principles and Applications in Geology by Tarling, D.H., Chapman and hall, London, 1983.