| In this dictionary
I also found an entry on 'Magnetic Declination'.
Magnetic Declination is the degree to which
the magnetic field that you are in varies from the magnetic poles
( you have to make an adjustment, depending on where you are, to
get a true magnetic north reading from your compass ). But, more
importantly, this is related to 'Magnetic Striping' which is one
of the things used by geologists in continent reconstruction.When
fresh rock emerges at the sea-beds it is magnetically 'striped'.
This striping is permanent and can tell geologists where a particular
piece of land was positioned when it formed.
This field of research is called 'Paleo-magnetism'.
I then decided that the next step, when I could get online, would
be to find a map of the world's magnetic declination field. (
Local Magnetic Declination varies from year to year, but the overall
pattern is consistent with Magnetic striping )
The next morning I found that the world magnetic
declination map suggested magnetic striping of North and South America
that matched when realigned in the way I had proposed. There is
new volcanic material being added to the North American West coast,
from the Pacific, all the time, but they make little difference
to the overall.
These facts, combined with the seabed and
fault-line maps, egged me on.
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