Palaeomagnetism (principles and applications in Geology, Geophysics and Archaeology)

Abstract

In recent years, research in Earth Sciences has undergone major changes and it has been common to hear of the scientific revolution that has occurred in this field (for example, Cox, 1973; McElhinny, 1973; Stacey, 1969; LePichoneta et al. , 1973). In this scientific revolution, the occurrence of larger horizontal displacements proposed in the theory of Continental Drift (initially rejected for several decades) has come to be accepted, within a new arc of reference for the evolution of the Earth, in the theories of Spreading of Ocean Floors and Plate Tectonics. In this scientific revolution, paleomagnetic research has played an important role.