Have you ever heard of the geodynamo? Perhaps not, but its presence has certainly had a huge impact on your life. The theory describes how Earth's magnetic field is generated and maintained by ...

Although the geodynamo produces a very intense magnetic field, only about 1 percent of the field's magnetic energy extends outside the core. When measured at the surface, ...

Despite its fundamental importance, many questions remain unanswered about the geodynamo's origin. New work examines how the presence of lighter elements in the predominately iron core could ...

Essentially, a big boost of energy was needed to drive the geodynamo and stop the magnetic field from collapsing—and the solidification of Earth's core would have done just that.

A billion years may not sound young, but researchers estimating the age of the Earth’s core say it could be between 1 and 1.3 billion years old – which is at the lower end of previous estimates.

The geodynamo. Earth's magnetic field is powered by what scientists call the "geodynamo." That's the movement of the iron-rich outer core, which turns the planet into a giant, if somewhat messy ...

Earth's so-called "geodynamo", involving the movement of molten iron in the Earth's outer core, began 4.22 billion years ago, say researchers today in the journal Science.

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