Induction at short periods in the horizontal field variations in the Indian peninsula

A study of the horizontal components of certain short-period magnetic-fluctuation events, viz., storm sudden commencements and bays, shows appreciable anomalies at two of the five magnetic observatories in peninsular India. The electric current patterns deduced from the magnetic horizontal induced variations imply channelling of induced currents through the Palk Straits and around the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. An interesting feature of these anomalies is that while the induced magnetic vertical variations are strongly correlated with the horizontal northward magnetic field, the electric current concentrations flow parallel to the coast; southwest, near Annamalainagar, and north near Trivandrum. The observations are interpreted in terms of a regional, east-west, induced electric current pattern which is perturbed in the vicinity of the two observatories by the Indian peninsula.