COLLOQUIUM
Dr. Alain Plattner
California State University, Fresno
A close look at planetary crustal magnetic fields
from satellite data
Abstract
Earth's magnetic field mostly looks like a bar magnet with its magnetic north pole
close to the geographic north pole. Besides this strong bar-magnet component,
there is a weaker magnetic field that comes from magnetized minerals within
Earth's crust. Detailed maps of this crustal field have helped understand the forces
that shape Earth. Other planets and even moons also possess crustal fields. In my
presentation I will discuss methods to obtain crustal magnetic field maps from
satellite data, in particular when only spatially limited data is available, and show
our results for Mars.
3:00-4:30 p.m., Friday, April 1st
McLane 162
Refreshments served! All welcome,