The Ørsted Satellite Project

A Danish Microsatellite With a High Scientific Profile

Papers and reports


THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF CRATONIC NORTH AMERICA: EVIDENCE FROM NEW SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS

 

Purucker, M.(1), B. Langlais (2), N. Olsen (3), and M. Mandea (2)

  1. Raytheon ITSS at Geodynamics Branch, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
  2. Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France
  3. Danish Space Research Institute, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Abstract. A global model is developed for both induced and remanent magnetizations in the terrestrial lithosphere. The model is compared with, and well-described by, Ørsted satellite observations. Interpretation of the observations over North America suggests that the large total field anomalies, associated with spherical harmonic degrees 15-26 and centered over Kentucky and the south-central United States, are the manifestations of the magnetic edges of the southern boundaries of cratonic North America. The observations may be used to improve thermal models of the continental crust.