RUI: Paleointensity Before and After the Kauai R-N Transition

“外变”地磁场（即在极性反转之前或之后的磁场）可能反映了通常稳定的地核过程的变化。因此，它们更有可能表现出可重复的行为，而不是由在倒转中点占主导地位的不太稳定、更无序的过程产生的场。Steens山过渡带具有明显的外延场行为，表现为：1)反转前场频散高，反转后场频散正常；2)反转前场强稳定，反转后场强振荡。由研究公司支持的工作表明，在夏威夷考艾岛的玄武岩流中记录的R-N反转前后，磁场方向的分散遵循完全相同的模式。关键问题是场强的行为是否也会重复。古强度实验设备的建设（由RUI研究仪器补助金资助）已经耗尽了研究公司补助金的夏季工资支持。该奖项为古强度实验提供了支持，从而使考艾岛项目得以完成。本科生将继续参与研究的各个方面。

"Epitransitional" geomagnetic fields (i.e, those which immediately precede or follow polarity reversals) probably reflect changes in normally stable core processes. They are therefore more likely to exhibit repeatable behavior than the fields resulting from the less stable, more disorderly processes predominant during the midpoints of reversals. Distinctive epitransitional field behavior is apparent in the Steens Mountain transition zone, which shows 1) field dispersion being high before the reversals and normal afterwards and 2) field intensity steady before the reversal and oscillating afterwards. Work supported by the Research Corporation shows that the dispersion of field directions follows exactly the same pattern before and after an R-N reversal recorded in basaltic flows on Kauai, Hawaii. The key question is whether the behavior of field intensity is also repeated. Construction of an apparatus for paleointensity experiments (funded by a RUI Research Instrumentation grant) has exhausted summer salary support from the Research Corporation grant. This award provides support for the paleointensity experiments and thus allow completion of the Kauai project. Undergraduate students will continue to be involved in every aspect of the study.