Abstract

Abstract Summary

Overview

The geomagnetic field has experienced significant weakening over the last two centuries, marked by an increase in field asymmetry due to the development of the South Atlantic Anomaly. This brief explores the processes contributing to this decrease and presents a model predicting future developments based on historical data.

Findings

• Rapid decrease in geomagnetic field strength over recent centuries.
• Identification of field asymmetries and potential ancient analogs to the current South Atlantic Anomaly.
• Use of a probabilistic model addressing age uncertainties and smoothing issues in sedimentary data.
• Evidence suggests recurrent hemispherical field asymmetries, linked to millennial-scale variations in the magnetic dipole moment.

Conclusion

The study provides insights into past patterns and future expectations of Earth’s magnetic field, suggesting that the current anomaly may resolve within a few hundred years, leading to a more symmetric field configuration and potential strengthening of the axial dipole field.