palaeomagnetism

British  

/ ˌpælɪəʊˈmæɡnɪˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. the study of the fossil magnetism in rocks, used to determine the past configurations of the continents and to investigate the past shape and magnitude of the earth's magnetic field

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• palaeomagnetic
  adjective

Example Sentences

The deposits were dated using a method called palaeomagnetism, which uses well-documented flips in Earth’s magnetic field to date rock established between these events.

From Nature • Jul. 10, 2018

Macedonio Melloni, the observatory's first director, did pioneering work on the magnetic properties of lava that was crucial to later studies of palaeomagnetism — the history of Earth's magnetic field as recorded in rocks.

From Nature • Mar. 20, 2013