geomagnetism

American  

[jee-oh-mag-ni-tiz-uhm] / ˌdʒi oʊˈmæg nɪˌtɪz əm /

noun

1. the earth's magnetic field and associated phenomena.

2. the branch of geophysics that studies such phenomena.

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geomagnetism British  

/ ˌdʒiːəʊmæɡˈnɛtɪk, ˌdʒiːəʊˈmæɡnɪˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. the magnetic field of the earth

2. the branch of physics concerned with this

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geomagnetism Scientific  

/ jē′ō-măg′nĭ-tĭz′əm /

1. The magnetic properties of the Earth and its atmosphere.

2. The study of these properties.

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Other Word Forms

• geomagnetic adjective

Etymology

Origin of geomagnetism

First recorded in 1935–40; geo- + magnetism

Example Sentences

Blackett, a socialist who opposed nuclear proliferation, turned to geomagnetism after the war to distance himself from military work.

From Nature • Sep. 4, 2013

Around 200 papers a year cite sunspot data, in fields extending beyond solar physics to geomagnetism, atmospheric science and climate science.

From Nature • Mar. 20, 2013

Merrill, professor emeritus of earth and space sciences at the UW, offers a tour of the field of geomagnetism, explaining both its history and science's current understanding of the Earth's geomagnetic field.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2010

Its staff of 200 includes specialists in a wide range of fields relating to earthquakes, from chemical volcanology and crustal deformation to structural geology and geomagnetism.

From Time Magazine Archive