Brunhes-Matuyama reversal

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The Brunhes-Matuyama Reversal was a geologic event, approximately 780,000 years ago, when the Earth's magnetic field last underwent reversal. The reversal occurred over several thousand years. The apparent duration at any particular location varied from 1,200 to 10,000 years depending on geomagnetic latitude and local effects of non-dipole components of the Earth's field during the transition.^[1] The event is useful in dating ocean sediment cores and subaerially erupted volcanics.

It is named for Bernard Brunhes and Motonori Matuyama.

[edit] See also

• Geomagnetic reversal
• Jaramillo reversal

[edit] References

1. ^ Bradford M. Clement (2004). "Dependence of the duration of geomagnetic polarity reversals on site latitude". Nature 428. 

[edit] Further reading

• Behrendt, J.C., Finn, C., Morse, L., Blankenship, D.D. "One hundred negative magnetic anomalies over the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), in particular Mt. Resnik, a subaerially erupted volcanic peak, indicate eruption through at least one field reversal" University of Colorado, U.S. Geological Survey, University of Texas. (U.S. Geological Survey and The National Academies); USGS OF-2007-1047, Extended Abstract 030. 2007.