| Volumes and Issues Contents of Issue 2 |
www.hist-geo-space-sci.net/1/63/2010/
doi:10.5194/hgss-1-63-2010
© Author(s) 2010. This work is distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Alexander von Humboldt's charts of the Earth's magnetic field: an assessment based on modern models
1Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP, Université Paris-Diderot & CNRS, UMR7154), Case 7011, 5 rue Thomas Mann, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
2Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum – GFZ, Sektion 2.3, Erdmagnetfeld, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
3Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences Geophysical Center (GC RAS), 3, Molodezhnaya St. 119296, Moscow, Russia
*previously at: Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum – GFZ, Sektion 2.3, Erdmagnetfeld, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Abstract. The 19th century witnessed a resurgence of interest in Earth's magnetic field. Both observational and theoretical aspects were involved, and one of the emblematic figures of this period was Alexander von Humboldt. Throughout a long life he maintained a strong interest in a broad area of subjects, however, here we are interested in his role in geomagnetism, and particularly in his pioneering contributions to charting the geomagnetic field. Alexander von Humboldt efforts in measuring and charting the Earth's magnetic field are recounted and the maps of declination, inclination and total intensity he had prepared are compared, favorably, with maps for the same epoch based on a modern model of the geomagnetic field, gufm1. This modern assessment of the accuracy of von Humboldt's geomagnetic charts illustrates the importance of his work, being also our homage to the 150th anniversary of the death of Alexander von Humboldt.
Full Article (PDF, 21122 KB)
Citation: Mandea, M., Korte, M., Soloviev, A., and Gvishiani, A.: Alexander von Humboldt's charts of the Earth's magnetic field: an assessment based on modern models, Hist. Geo Space. Sci., 1, 63-76, doi:10.5194/hgss-1-63-2010, 2010. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
