地球基本磁场的成因

在略高于古藤堡面的压力和温度条件下,地核物质中的原子结构状态发生了质变.如对于外层能级分布是3d64s2的铁原子而言,Fe原子的最外层和极少一部分Fe原子的次外层将受到破坏,使外层电子发生"公有化"现象,残破的原子(处于离子状态)在自引力作用形成的压力作用下,按原子密度的大小产生分异,"内核"多为显示有正电性能的密度较高的残破原子组成,"外核"(包含过渡层)为富含"公有化"电子而显示负电性能的密度相对较低的残破原子组成,这是一个地核物质量子状态变化的静态过程,从地球内部宏观电性结构看来,地球的"内核"和"外核"组成缮了一个静态的巨型似"原子球","外核"显示负电性,"内核"显示正电性,"内核"所带电量与"外核"所带电量相等,但符号相反,在静态的情况下,似"原子球"并不显示磁性.由于地球自转,"外核"上界面赤道上的自转线速度为252.9m/s,"内核"外界面赤道上的自转线速度为88.9 m/s,二者的速度差为164.0 m/s,这种含有由巨大电量的"外核"电子壳层相对"内核"绕固定的轴向(自转轴)转动,自然会形成它的基本磁场.     

中国大陆地区地磁长期变化及其特征

1.前言地球基本磁场随时、空有一个周期性的、长期缓慢的变化。一般认为,这种变化来源于地核内部或核幔边界,因此,利用地磁场的这种长期变化的规律,可以研究地球内部物质的     

地球内核处于熔融状态

地球的磁场是由液态铁核形成的地磁发电机所产生的,这种液态铁核在上覆层地幔岩石的冷却下导致对流.地核由最里面向外冷却,生成固态的内核和释放轻元素.这些驱动着组分上的对流[1-3].地幔从地核以一定的速率吸收了热量,且吸热速率在空间上存在着很大的横向变化和差异[4].本文利用地磁发电机模拟显示这种横向差异会传递至内核边界,从而足以导致热量流入内核.如果地球内部确实是这样,将导致局部的熔融作用.熔融释放密度较重的液体形成变化的组分层,这一点可由内核上边界向上150 km处的地震波速度异常来解释[5-7].     

法国一项地核研究计划

最近的理论和观测进展,为研究部分熔融的地球铁核提供了新的推动力。1983年法国国家科学研究中心着手执行一项研究地核结构及其演化的多学科计划。本文试图向科学界通报该计划的目的和现今执行情况,并试图概述1985年12月在巴黎举行的科学技术发展动态会议上提交的论文。在我们脚下2900公里深处的地核,依然是地球内部一个最少被人了解和不可捉摸的部     

1690～2000年地磁场能量的三维分布及其长期变化

利用Bloxham & Jackson 地磁场模型和国际参考地磁场模型(IGRF),研究了1690～2000年地磁总能量及其北向、东向和垂直向分量的能量以及非偶极子磁场的能量在地球内部的分布及长期变化.结果表明,地表和地核以外地磁场总能量及其北向和垂直向的能量是持续衰减的,垂直向的磁场能量占总能量的64％以上,对总能量的贡献起主要作用;东向分量的能量随时间的变化以增加为主.地磁场的能量变化率存在56年的周期,主要是由偶极子磁场产生的.地表以外的非偶极子磁能从减小到增大转折出现在1770年,比地核以外滞后40年.地球内部磁能随时间的变化显示,偶极子磁能逐渐减小,非偶极子磁能增加,越靠近核幔边界增加越快;偶极子和非偶极子磁能的变化量相等的分界面在距地心3780km处.从核幔边界到地表,磁能变化的衰减非偶极子比偶极子快,表明偶极子磁场比非偶极子磁场有更深的场源.     

地磁倒转与生物灭绝因果关系研究五十年

地磁场源于地球内部的地核发电机,经由近3000 km厚的地幔和地壳到达地面,穿过生物圈、大气层和电离层后延展至太空形成磁层.地磁场对生物圈有双重保护作用:阻挡了高能粒子向内入侵,也避免了氧和水等挥发性物质向外逃逸.尽管地磁场在几十亿年的时间里帮助维持了地球的宜居性,人们仍认为地磁倒转所导致的保护作用削弱会给生物圈带来深刻的负面影响,甚至是生物灭绝.本文梳理地磁倒转与生物灭绝因果关系研究的五十年发展历程,结合历史背景评介早期"一对一"假说的得与失,并着重阐述空间环境变化在最新提出的"多对一"假说中的重要作用.这些研究成果已经清晰地说明,从地核到磁层的地球各圈层是一个耦合的复杂系统,地球演化中的重大事件应当从地球系统科学的角度来看待,并借助比较行星学来研究和理解.     

地磁学中的球面各向同性随机矢量场

从地磁场随机模拟的需要出发，研究球面各向同性随机矢量场．首先指出，与三维空间中的随机矢量场不同，在球上均匀性蕴含于各向同性；三维均匀各向同性随机矢量场一定是球上各向同性随机矢量场，反之不真．其次，以地核磁场的随机模型为例，给出了球面各向同性模型的空间两点关联张量的并矢表示，并将其在不变坐标系分解；利用核幔边界地球主磁场的球谐功率谱的幂级数拟合模型，估算空间两点关联张量．因此，即使根据地球主磁场观测认定地核场具有球面各向同性，亦不能推定地核内部磁流体运动是三维均匀各向同性的．     

地球深部研究联合会简介

地球深部研究联合会(SEDI)是一个致力于研究地球深部的国际科学组织。SEDI 的宗旨是,增进对地球深部的过去演变,当前地热、动力和化学等状态以及这些状态如何影响地球表面构造和观测过程的了解。地球深部通常是指地核和下地幔,但也可能涉及地表,例如,在地幔热柱的研究方面。SEDI 的科研课题和攻关难点包括地磁动力和长期变化、古地磁和地球深部的演变、地核成分,构造和动力学、发电机能量学和内核构造、地核的冷却和核-幔边界区、核-幔边界形状、耦合和地球的自转、下地幔的构造、对流和热柱等。自1987年以来,SEDI 一直是国际大地测量与地球物理联合会(IUGG)的一个内部委员会。因此它跨 IUGG 的一些协会的传统学     

内核地球自转动力学理论的研究进展(Ⅰ)-理论基础

地球固体内核(SIC)和地球其余部分之间的引力和压力的耦合作用引起了一个力矩,从而对地球的章动运动产生影响.由于SIC的转动惯量和整体地球转动惯量相比是非常小的,因此可以认为SIC的动力学效应只是导致一个新的章动本征模,其频率与自由核章动(FCN)相差不太远,且对地球章动产生了一个微弱的共振影响.本文在文献[1]理论的基础上,对内核地球自转动力学理论进行了更加深入和详细的研究,顾及到高阶引潮力位的影响,介绍了研究内核地球自转的基本假设和定义,引潮力位的复数球函数表示,复数矢量球函数的基本理论等.     

内核地球自转动力学理论的研究进展(Ⅰ)

地球固体内核（SIC）和地球其余部分之间的引力和压力的耦合作用引起了一个力矩，从而对地球的章动运动产生影响.由于SIC的转动惯量和整体地球转动惯量相比是非常小的，因此可以认为SIC的动力学效应只是导致一个新的章动本征模，其频率与自由核章动（FCN）相差不太远，且对地球章动产生了一个微弱的共振影响.本文在文献〔1〕理论的基础上，对内核地球自转动力学理论进行了更加深入和详细的研究，顾及到高阶引潮力位的影响，介绍了研究内核地球自转的基本假设和定义，引潮力位的复数球函数表示，复数矢量球函数的基本理论等.     

Mantle regulation of core cooling: A geodynamo without core radioactivity?

The case for radioactivity in the core based on the power requirements of the geodynamo is re-evaluated. Previous calculations of mantle regulation of core thermal evolution have used an inappropriate formula. New calculations with a more appropriate formula yield lower core heat loss in the past, thus mitigating the implication of unreasonably high past core and mantle temperatures. Multiple thermal evolutions leading to present heat flows are also demonstrated, depending on the efficiency of mantle removal of core heat, some with moderately high past core heat loss and some with low and steady core heat loss. The latter would permit a low- or moderate-power dynamo without core radioactivity. Key uncertainties are the efficiency of core cooling by the mantle, the thermal conductivity of the core and the energy or entropy flow required to maintain the dynamo. The present rate of heat loss from the core is argued to be still rather uncertain, and a commonly used estimate of the thermal conductivity of the core is shown plausibly to be too high and in any case to be uncertain by perhaps a factor of 2. The geochemical difficulties associated with postulating radioactive heat sources in the core are stressed.     

Effects of core formation

Two sets of earth models have been generated which simulate the process of core formation in the earth. The results allow the evaluation of the distribution of energy release by core formation and thus an estimate of the early temperature profile following core formation. The process itself is likely to have taken 20 Ma or less, although a longer induction period during which some metal phase exists as a melt is probable. Much of the energy (half or more) ends up in a hot core with the mantle relatively cold. These results suggest the occurrence of mantle wide convection, leading to homogenization and the possible stripping of some elements from the mantle.     

Another look at the core density deficit of Earth’s outer core

A constraint adopted in several geochemical studies of core composition is that the core density deficit (cdd) is 10%, with the implication that this number is based on robust geophysical evidence. The cdd is the perceived difference between the density of pure iron at core conditions and the seismically-determined density of the outer core. The importance of the cdd is that it limits the concentration of allowable light elements, such as sulfur and silicon, which, when mixed with Fe, or an Fe-Ni alloy, comprise the geochemical model of the inner core.We present evidence that the value of 10% for the cdd of the outer core is too high. Using a thermal-pressure equation-of-state, we find that for assumed melting temperatures of pure iron at the inner-outer core (ICB) pressure of 330 GPa ranging from 7500 to 4800 K, the cdd ranges from 2.9 to 7%, respectively. Reports that the cdd value of the outer core is less than 10% are found in a number of shock-wave studies, but the values reported here are apparently the lowest. Our cdd value for an assumed melting temperature of 6000 K for iron at 330 GPa is 5.4% and is compatible with proposed concentrations of Si and S impurities found from solubility studies at high P and T.     

VLBI observations of free core nutations and viscosity at the top of the core

Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) nutation measurement series, both in excess of 23 years length, from Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the United States Naval Observatory (USNO), have been analyzed for free core nutation resonances.VLBI nutation observations can only be made when the radio sources being used are visible, rendering the data sequence inherently non-equispaced. This poses the problem of the approach to be taken with unevenly spaced sampling. Both the conventional Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and the Fast Fourier Transform Algorithm (FFT) for its computation strictly require a fixed sampling interval.Our approach is to find the Discrete Fourier Transform of the non-equispaced record by minimizing an objective function which weights the error between the DFT representation and the measured values in inverse proportion to the square of their standard errors. The resulting conditional equations have a coefficient matrix of Toeplitz form but the recursive Levinson algorithm has been found inadequate for their solution, even when implemented in double quad precision. Instead, we employ the Singular Value Decomposition technique to solve the least squares problem of fitting the Discrete Fourier Transform to the non-equispaced VLBI nutation observations. A novel feature of our procedure is to use the Parseval relation to determine the number of singular values of the coefficient matrix to be eliminated.We report the observation for the first time of the prograde mode predicted by Jiang [Jiang, X., 1993. Wobble–nutation modes of the earth, Ph.D. thesis, York University, Toronto, Canada]. The long series of observations allow the determination of the time evolution of the free core nutations. We observe both the prograde and the retrograde modes to be in free decay. In addition to providing measures of the viscosity just below the core–mantle boundary (CMB), the free decays suggest impulsive excitations rather than continuous excitation by electromagnetic core–mantle coupling or the atmosphere. The average recovered viscosity at the top of the core is of the order 615 Pa s in contrast to the value of $8\times 10^{-3}$ Pa s found by Gans [Gans, R., 1972. Viscosity of the Earth’s core, J. Geophys. Res. 77, 360–366] from the extrapolation of laboratory measurements, and commonly used by dynamo theorists.     

Dynamic response of tipping core buildings

When subjected to major earthquakes, core-stiffened buildings may begin to tip. That is, the overturning moment on the core's footing becomes so large that the footing breaks contact with the ground and begins to rock. A method is described for including the effects of tipping in the analysis of multistorey core-braced structures. Curves are presented which summarize the maximum response to both pulse and earthquake excitations; these data are elucidated via a typical design example. By comparison to fixed-base behaviour, tipping greatly reduces the base shear and moment. This makes possible a more economical design. However, attention must be devoted to avoiding potential soil-mechanics problems associated with the wobbling behaviour of the tipping core.     

The age of the inner core

The energy conservation law, when applied to the Earth’s core and integrated between the onset of the crystallization of the inner core and the present time, gives an equation for the age of the inner core. In this equation, all the terms can be expressed theoretically and, given values and uncertainties of all relevant physical parameters, the age of the inner core can be obtained as a function of the heat flux at the core–mantle boundary and the concentrations in radioactive elements. It is found that in absence of radioactive elements in the core, the age of the inner core cannot exceed 2.5 Ga and is most likely around 1 Ga. In addition, to have an inner core as old as the Earth, concentrations in radioactive elements needed in the core are too high to be acceptable on geochemical grounds.     

Structure of the inner core boundary

Abstract

A model of the inner-core boundary (ICB) is constructed which is consistent with current ideas of the dynamic and thermodynamic state of the core and which is capable of reflecting seismic waves with period of one second. This requires the mass fraction of solid below the ICB to grow to an appreciable fraction in roughly one kilometer. This rapid growth of solid with depth is a result of downward fluid flow from the outer core which is a part of the convective motions which sustain the geodynamo. The solid which crystallizes from this descending fluid after it crosses the ICB continually coats the dendrites which occur there. The gradual cooling of the outer core causes the ICB to advance by growth of dendrites at their tips. The balance of these two effects gives an equilibrium profile for the mass fraction of solid with depth below the ICB which is capable of yielding sharp reflection of seismic waves.     

Physical properties of the Earth's core

Calculations of the compression and temperature gradient of the core are facilitated by the use of the thermodynamic Grüneisen ratio, =3Ks/C _P . A pressure-dependent factor in is found to have the same numerical value for the core as for laboratory iron, justifying the use of a constant value for (1.6) in core calculations. The density of the outer core is satisfied by the assumption that it contains about 15% of light elements, particularly sulphur, whereas the inner core is probably ironnickel with very little lighter component. The presence of sulphur in the outer core reduces its liquidus at least 600° below pure iron, so that the adiabatic gradient does not intersect the liquidus, as Higgins and Kennedy have shown would occur in a pure iron core. The inner core is probably close to its melting point, 4700 K, and the adiabatic temperature gradient of the outer is calculated with this as a fixed point, giving 3380 K at the core-mantle boundary. The estimated electrical resistivity of the outer core, 3×10^–6 m, corresponds to a thermal conductivity of 28 W·m^–1·deg^–1, which, with the adiabatic core gradient gives a minimum of 3.9×10¹² W of heat conduction to the mantle. The only plausible source of this much heat is the radioactive decay of potassium in the core. As pointed out by Goles, Lewis, and Hall and Murthy, the presence of potassium becomes geochemically probable once sulphur is admitted as a core constituent. Thus it appears that the recognition of sulphur in the core resolves the two major difficulties which we have faced in attempting to understand the core.List of Symbols a equilibrium atomic spacing at zero pressure, also a constant - A surface area of core - b a constant - c a constant - C _V ,C _P specific heat at constant volume, constant pressure - D dimension of core (or core eddy) - E(r) atomic interaction energy - E energy due to atomic displacement from equilibrium - lattice energy of material - f ₁,f ₂ structure-dependent constants - F(P) pressure dependent factor in Grüneisen's ratio - g gravitational acceleration; also a constant (Equation (13)) - H latent heat of solidification - I integral (Equation (23)) - k Boltzmann's constant - K incompressibility (bulk modulus) - K _T ,K _S isothermal, adiabatic incompressibilities - N number of atoms in a volume of material - P pressure - dQ/dt core to mantle heat flux - r atomic spacing - r _e equilibrium value ofr under pressure - R _m magnetic Reynolds number - T temperature - T _c critical temperature - T _R reduced temperature (Equation (39)) - U specific internal energy of a material - v velocity of internal core motion - V volume - 3 volume expansion coefficient - compressibility - thermodynamic Grüneisen ratio (Equation(2)) - magnetic diffusivity - thermal conductivity - _e electronic contribution to - ₀ permeability of free space - density - _e electrical resistivity - R reduced conductivity,eM/e     

Local turbulence in the Earth's core

Abstract

It is shown that in the Earth's core, where the geodynamo is at work (and is supplied with energy by the prevailing unstable density stratification), a buoyancy instability of a local character exists which is highly supercritical. This instability results in fully developed turbulence dominated by small scale vortices. The influence of the Earth's rotation and of the magnetic field produced by the geodynamo makes this small scale turbulence highly anisotropic. A qualitative picture of this local anisotropic turbulence is devised and the main parameters characterizing it are estimated. Expressions for the turbulent diffusivity are developed and discussed.