The 'Brunhes-Matuyama Reversal' was a
geologic event, approximately 780,000 years ago, when the
Earth's magnetic field last underwent
reversal. The reversal occurred over several thousand years. The apparent duration at any particular location varied from 1,200 to 10,000 years depending on geomagnetic latitude and local effects of non-dipole components of the Earth's field during the transition.
[1] The event is useful in dating ocean sediment cores and subaerially erupted volcanics.
It is named for
Bernard Brunhes and
Motonori Matuyama.
See also
★
Geomagnetic reversal
★
Jaramillo reversal
References
1. Dependence of the duration of geomagnetic polarity reversals on site latitude, Bradford M. Clement, , , Nature, 2004
Further reading
★ Behrendt, J.C., Finn, C., Morse, L., Blankenship, D.D. "''
One hundred negative magnetic anomalies over the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), in particular Mt. Resnik, a subaerially erupted volcanic peak, indicate eruption through at least one field reversal''" University of Colorado, U.S. Geological Survey, University of Texas. (U.S. Geological Survey and The National Academies); USGS OF-2007-1047, Extended Abstract 030. 2007.