Unravelling the magnetic histories of Earth and other terrestrial objects
.jpg)
Discussion meeting organised by Professor Andy Biggin, Dr James Bryson, Professor Cathy Constable and Professor Wyn Williams.
This meeting will assemble researchers working across vast length and time-scales to understand the multibillion year histories of dynamos operating in the cores of Earth, the Moon, Mars, Mercury and asteroids. Its aim is to lay a platform for recent advances in data, techniques and concepts to tackle major contemporary controversies whose implications stretch far beyond geo- and planetary magnetism.
Programme
The programme, including speaker biographies and abstracts, will be available soon. Please note the programme may be subject to change.
Poster session
There will be a poster session from 5pm on Monday 14 September 2026. If you would like to present a poster, your proposed title, abstract (up to 200 words), author list, and the name of the proposed presenter and institution no later than Friday 28 August 2026.
Attending the event
This event is intended for researchers in relevant fields.
- Free to attend
- Both virtual and in-person attendance is available. Advance registration is essential. Please
- Lunch is available on both days of the meeting for an optional £25 per day. There are plenty of places to eat nearby if you would prefer purchase food offsite. Participants are welcome to bring their own lunch to the meeting
Please note that scientific meetings hosted by the Royal Society do not necessarily represent a Royal Society position or signify an endorsement of the speakers or content presented.
Enquiries: Scientific Programmes team.
Organisers
Schedule
| 09:00-09:05 |
Welcome by the Royal Society and lead organiser
|
|---|---|
| 09:05-09:30 |
Nanomagnetic imaging
Professor Richard HarrisonUniversity of Cambridge, UK
Professor Richard HarrisonUniversity of Cambridge, UK Richard Harrison is Professor of Earth and Planetary Materials at the University of Cambridge. He leads the NanoPaleoMagnetism research group that was established in 2013 via the award of an ERC Advanced Grant. Harrison employs an innovative combination of experimental and computational techniques to study magnetism in natural and synthetic materials, with particular emphasis on nanoscale processes. |
| 09:30-09:45 |
Discussion
|
| 09:45-10:10 |
The magnetic record of CV chondrites: parent body dynamo or solar nebula field?
CV chondrites are aqueously altered meteorites that experienced various degrees of thermal metamorphism. Paleomagnetic studies of bulk CV chondrites have disproportionately focused on Allende, with >30 published studies against two for other CV chondrites (Kaba and Vigarano). Allende carries a characteristic remanent magnetization, interpreted as the record of an ancient field, but no consensus has been reached regarding its nature and origin: chemical remanent magnetization (CRM) reflecting the solar nebula field, thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) reflecting a parent body dynamo field, or shock remanent magnetization reflecting one of those fields. Solving this conundrum would either place important constraints on the solar nebula field intensity, or support the existence of partially differentiated planetesimals, ie, with a differentiated interior overlaid by a chondritic shell (birth place of the CV chondrites). To do so, we set aside Allende and turn to other members of the CV chondrite group. I will present the results of a series of rock magnetic and paleomagnetic measurements conducted on 30 CV chondrites: hysteresis and susceptibility at room and high temperature, AF and thermal demagnetization, Thellier-Thellier experiments. I will focus on thermal demagnetization data to try deciphering the nature of the NRM: if CV chondrites carry a (partial) TRM, their unblocking temperatures should correlate with their degree of metamorphism, while there should be no correlation between those parameters if the NRM is in fact a CRM. Preliminary data seem to favor the hypothesis that CV chondrites recorded a pTRM, which we argue is most compatible with the record of a dynamo field, supporting the idea that the CV chondrite parent body was partially differentiated. 
Dr Clara MaurelCEREGE - CNRS, France
Dr Clara MaurelCEREGE - CNRS, France Clara is a CNRS researcher at the Centre de Recherche et d'Enseignement des Géosciences de l'Environnement (CEREGE) in Aix-en-Provence, France. She is interested in how planetary bodies formed and evolved in the early times of the solar system. Specifically, she investigates the magnetic and structural properties of meteorites to understand how planetesimals—the building blocks of the planets—accreted, differentiated, and generated magnetic fields. She was trained as an aerospace engineer at ISAE-Supaéro and obtained her PhD in Planetary Sciences at MIT under the supervision of Professor Benjamin Weiss in the department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS). She then joined the CEREGE as a MSC postdoctoral fellow and then a CNES Postdoctoral Fellow. |
| 10:10-10:25 |
Discussion
|
| 10:25-10:50 |
Break
|
| 10:50-11:15 |
Quantum diamond microscopy
Dr Lennart de GrootUtrecht University, The Netherlands
Dr Lennart de GrootUtrecht University, The Netherlands Lennart de Groot is Associate Professor at the Paleomagnetic Laboratory, Fort Hoofddijk, Utrecht University. His research centres on reconstructing Earth's short-term magnetic field behaviour by developing innovative techniques, including the use of quantum diamond microscopy to access micro- to nanoscale magnetic recording in rocks. His work has contributed to improving the recovery of robust paleomagnetic signals from challenging materials and to refining understanding of field instability in the Southern Hemisphere, including the evolution of the South Atlantic Anomaly. He holds an ERC Consolidator Grant and previously received an ERC Starting Grant as well as VENI and VIDI awards from the Dutch Research Council. He is a recipient of the AGU William Gilbert Award and the Vening Meinesz Prize. He leads an internationally active research group. Beyond his research, he established a science theatre initiative, now in its sixth season, that trains PhD candidates in communicating science on stage. |
| 11:15-11:30 |
Discussion
|
| 11:30-11:55 |
Magnetic domain states and palaeomagnetic recording fidelity
Professor Andrew RobertsAustralian National University, Australia
Professor Andrew RobertsAustralian National University, Australia Andrew Roberts is a Professor in the Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University. He works on palaeomagnetic, rock magnetic, and environmental magnetic studies of climate and environmental change, geomagnetic field behaviour, geochronology, tectonics, and biomagnetism. He has co-authored >300 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He has been awarded the Leverhulme Prize (UK), Axford Medal (Asia Oceania Geosciences Society), Mawson Medal (Australian Academy of Science), AGU Edward Bullard Lectureship, and was appointed as an Excellent Researcher at the Geological Survey of Japan. He has served for 15 years in university senior management roles and on scientific advisory committees in the UK, USA, China, Taiwan, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Australia, and New Zealand. His book, Mineral Magnetism, was published in late 2025 by Cambridge University Press. |
| 11:55-12:10 |
Discussion
|
| 13:10-13:35 |
Paleomagnetic records from Sample Return Missions
Paleomagnetic investigations of meteorites have a long history, but they are often complicated by uncertainties in sample handling. The terrestrial curatorial histories of many specimens are poorly documented, and until recently the use of hand magnets to assess whether a rock was of extraterrestrial origin was common practice, potentially overprinting pre-terrestrial magnetic signals. An alternative approach is the study of well-curated material collected directly by space missions and returned to Earth. In addition to the Apollo and other lunar sample return programs, several missions have retrieved samples from small bodies. NASA’s Stardust mission collected cometary dust from comet Wild 2 in aerogel and returned it in 2005. The Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) has conducted two successful asteroid sample–return missions: Hayabusa, which returned grains from S type asteroid Itokawa in 2010, and Hayabusa2, which delivered material from C type asteroid Ryugu in 2020. In 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS REx mission returned 121 g of material from B type asteroid Bennu, the largest mass of asteroid sample yet obtained. Among these later missions, the Hayabusa2 samples have received the most extensive paleomagnetic study, although results remain contradictory and may reflect magnetic contamination introduced by the spacecraft. Looking forward, new opportunities for extraterrestrial paleomagnetism studies will arise from the planned return of samples from Phobos in 2031 by JAXA’s MMX mission, from the lunar south polar region via NASA’s Artemis program, and hopefully ultimately from sedimentary and igneous materials collected in Jezero crater as part of the NASA–ESA Mars Sample Return campaign. 
Professor Sara RussellNatural History Museum, UK
Professor Sara RussellNatural History Museum, UK Sara Russell is a Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum, where she leads the Origin and Evolution of Planets theme. She is also a visiting professor of Planetary Sciences at Imperial College. Her research uses meteorites and material brought to Earth by space missions to investigate the formation of the Solar System and the Earth’s Moon. She is involved in several space missions, most recently being Deputy Mission sample scientist for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu, and is a member of the Science Board for JAXA’s MMX mission that will visit Mars’ moon Phobos and return a sample to Earth. |
|---|---|
| 13:35-13:50 |
Discussion
|
| 13:50-14:15 |
Particles to planets
Dr Brendan CychUniversity of Liverpool, UK
Dr Brendan CychUniversity of Liverpool, UK Dr Brendan Cych is a postdoctoral researcher at Géosciences Montpellier (Université de Montpellier). He received a master's in Earth science from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in geology from the University of California, San Diego, and previously held a postdoctoral research associate position at the University of Liverpool. Brendan’s research focuses on understanding how tiny particles in rocks can record the history of Earth’s magnetic field over geological timescales (and how they sometimes can’t). His work combines new computational, experimental and analytical techniques to develop a comprehensive theory that uses these microscopic magnetic particles to explain planetary scale processes. |
| 14:15-14:30 |
Discussion
|
| 14:30-15:00 |
Break
|
| 15:00-15:25 |
Martian magnetism
|
| 15:25-15:40 |
Discussion
|
| 15:40-16:05 |
Non-dipole structures in the geomagnetic field
Professor Ricardo TrindadeUniversity of São Paulo, Brazil
Professor Ricardo TrindadeUniversity of São Paulo, Brazil Trindade is a Full Professor at the University of São Paulo, where he was Vice-Director and Director of the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences. He earned a PhD in Geophysics from the University of São Paulo (1999). His research focuses on rock magnetism, paleomagnetism, and archaeomagnetism, addressing paleoenvironmental changes across Earth’s history, including the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian transition, Phanerozoic biotic crises, and recent geomagnetic field behavior in the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly. More recently, he focused on the application of magnetic microscopy techniques to paleomagnetism and paleointensity studies, advancing high-resolution characterization of remanence carriers and improving the reliability of geomagnetic field reconstructions. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, leads major national and international projects, has supervised more than 40 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and is a member of TWAS and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. |
| 16:05-16:20 |
Discussion
|
| 16:20-17:00 |
Poster flash talks
|
| 09:00-09:25 |
Planetary magnetic fields
|
|---|---|
| 09:25-09:40 |
Discussion
|
| 09:40-10:05 |
The Moon’s magnetic history
Professor Sonia TikooStanford University, US
Professor Sonia TikooStanford University, US Dr Sonia Tikoo is an Assistant Professor of Geophysics and, by courtesy, of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Stanford University. She serves as the Principal Investigator of the Stanford Paleomagnetism and Planetary Magnetism Laboratory. She uses paleomagnetism and fundamental rock magnetism as tools to probe the magnetic history of the Moon, impact cratering processes, and other problems in the planetary sciences. Tikoo received her PhD in Planetary Sciences from MIT in 2014. |
| 10:05-10:20 |
Discussion
|
| 10:20-10:50 |
Break
|
| 10:50-11:15 |
Anomalous geomagnetic fields in Earth’s deep past
Dr Annique van der BoonUniversity of Oslo, Norway
Dr Annique van der BoonUniversity of Oslo, Norway Annique van der Boon is a paleomagnetist at the University of Oslo (Norway), and principal investigator of the PANDA project (Norwegian Research Council Young Research Talent). Her research has focused on enigmatic intervals of Earth’s history (notably the Devonian) and more recently on developing and validating novel recorders of Earth's magnetic field. She is intrigued by the expression of natural phenomena as recorded by rocks, and what rocks can tell us about the history of our planet. Annique is a firm believer that fieldwork and science communication are essential components of Earth science and is committed to building collegial, collaborative and inclusive research environments that enable ambitious, curiosity-driven science. |
| 11:15-11:30 |
Discussion
|
| 11:30-11:55 |
Geodynamo + core evolution
Professor Christopher DaviesUniversity of Leeds, UK
Professor Christopher DaviesUniversity of Leeds, UK My research advances our understanding of the dynamics and evolution of Earth’s deep interior. I am particularly interested in the generation of Earth’s magnetic field by fluid motion in its electrically conducting outer core and the manner in which this process is controlled by the overlying mantle and the solid inner core. To this end, I design theoretical and numerical models that describe the thermodynamic evolution of the core–mantle system and the fluid dynamics of magnetic field generation. Using these techniques, my group works on a number of outstanding challenges in deep Earth geophysics, including constraining Earth’s heat budget over geological time, the growth history and dynamics of the solid inner core, the origin of anomalous regions in the fluid outer core, and thermo-chemical coupling between the core and mantle and its signature in geomagnetic field observations. |
| 11:55-12:10 |
Discussion
|
| 13:10-13:35 |
Coevolution of the core, magnetosphere, and life
Professor John TardunoUniversity of Rochester, US
Professor John TardunoUniversity of Rochester, US John is a Guggenheim Fellow, as well as Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is recipient of the Price Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), and Petrus Peregrinus Medal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). John’s research centers on detecting the past geomagnetic field to learn about the evolution of Earth’s surface and deep interior. In his publications, he asserts that the geomagnetic field is essential for the development and sustainability of a habitable planet. |
|---|---|
| 13:35-13:50 |
Discussion
|
| 13:50-14:15 |
Global reconstructions of the palaeomagnetic field
Dr Sanja PanovskaGFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Germany
Dr Sanja PanovskaGFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Germany Sanja Panovska is a Group Leader at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomagnetism in Potsdam, Germany. She received her PhD from ETH Zürich and held a postdoctoral position at UCSD, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, before joining GFZ. Her work focuses on global reconstructions of the geomagnetic field on long-term timescales, encompassing data compilation and analysis, modelling, and implications. A special focus is on the most extreme events on these timescales, geomagnetic excursions and reversals, and understanding their core dynamics, field morphologies, and shared characteristics. This research is funded by the ERC Consolidator Grant EXCURSION, awarded in 2024, and is being undertaken by her research group. |
| 14:15-14:30 |
Discussion
|
| 14:30-15:00 |
Break
|
| 15:00-15:25 |
Magnetism of early Earth
Dr Claire NicholsUniversity of Oxford, UK
Dr Claire NicholsUniversity of Oxford, UK
|
| 15:25-15:40 |
Discussion
|
| 15:40-16:05 |
Magnetism of the Chang’e returned samples: From magnetic properties to lunar magnetic field evolution
Evolution of the lunar magnetic field provides key constraints on the Moon’s internal structure and dynamical processes. Magnetic studies of samples returned by the Apollo missions have established the foundational framework for our understanding of lunar magnetic field evolution. However, these samples were all collected from low-latitude regions on the lunar near side, and most basalt records are older than 3 billion years, leaving large uncertainties regarding the duration and operating mechanisms of the lunar dynamo. The Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 missions returned lunar regolith samples from the Moon’s mid-latitudes and far side, expanding the range of sampled regions and geological settings. In particular, basalts with ages of ~2.8 and ~2.0 Ga provide unique opportunities to investigate the magnetic field during the poorly constrained middle stages of lunar evolution. Paleomagnetic results from these samples suggest that the lunar magnetic field may have experienced a rebound around 2.8 Ga and that a weak magnetic field still persisted at ~2.0 Ga. These observations imply that the lunar dynamo, after an early rapid decline, may have been reactivated and persisted into the middle stage of the Moon’s evolution. In addition, magnetic properties of some Chang’e samples show notable differences from those of the Apollo samples, providing new insights into the magnetic mineralogy and recording capability of lunar materials. Magnetic results of the Chang’e samples will expand our understanding of the magnetic properties of lunar materials and the spatiotemporal evolution of the lunar magnetic field. 
Dr Shuhui CaiInstitute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Dr Shuhui CaiInstitute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Dr Shuhui Cai is a professor at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. She studies the evolution of the Earth’s and Moon’s magnetic fields and their underlying dynamo processes. Her research integrates archaeomagnetism, paleointensity reconstruction, and planetary magnetism, with a focus on the long-term evolution of the geomagnetic field and the lunar magnetic field. She constructed a Holocene geomagnetic reference curve and a regional field model for East Asia, identifying episodes of abrupt geomagnetic variation. She further revealed a geomagnetic low anomaly in Southeast Asia and proposed that magnetic flux expulsion at the core–mantle boundary may be widespread at low latitudes, providing new constraints on core–mantle boundary structure and geodynamo simulations. In addition, she obtained key evidence for the operational state of the lunar dynamo during the Moon’s middle evolutionary stage. Her results suggest that after an early rapid decline, the lunar magnetic field may have rebounded around 2.8 Ga, and that a weak magnetic field still existed at ~2.0 Ga, thereby revising the prevailing framework of lunar magnetic field evolution. Her work has been published in leading journals, including Nature, Science Advances, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr Cai has served as Principal Investigator and key contributor on multiple projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). She received the Fu Chengyi Young Scientist Award from the Chinese Geophysical Society in 2019. In 2020, she was named a core member of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Innovative Talent Promotion Program in the key area of “Geomagnetic Field Evolution and Its Applications.” In 2022, she was a key contributor to the team awarded the CAS Prize for Outstanding Scientific and Technological Achievement for research on the biological effects of geomagnetic field variations. More recently, she was selected for the “Phoenix Program” Outstanding Young Talent Award (Beijing, 2024), received the inaugural Tengchong Young Scientist Award (2025), and was honoured with the Tan Kah Kee Young Scientist Award (2026). She currently serves on the editorial working group of National Science Review and as a Youth Editorial Board Member of Earth and Planetary Physics. |
| 16:05-16:20 |
Discussion
|
| 16:20-16:45 |
Apparent polar wander paths and their errors
Earth is the only terrestrial planet with a long-lived dynamo-driven magnetic field and the ancient magnetic field recorded in surface rocks is the only quantitative way of reconstructing continents before the Cretaceous. Paleomagnetic results can be expressed in terms of paleopoles that are calculated using the geocentric axial dipole field model. Those paleopoles can in turn be used to construct apparent polar wander paths (APWPs), which record the motion of the polar axis relative to a fixed continent. The two most common methods for generating APWPs are the running mean and the spherical smoothing spline methods. Here we extend the spherical smoothing spline approach for APWP construction by propagating age, directional, and flattening-correction uncertainties through a Monte Carlo framework. Uncertainty in the spline paths was quantified by sampling these error sources from their respective distributions. For each synthetic pseudo-pole realization, we computed a smooth spline path where we also let the smoothing parameter vary randomly, thereby propagating uncertainty associated with spline regularization. Spline paths were evaluated at 10 Myr intervals, and the ensemble was used to derive mean spline paths with 95% confidence regions for the major continental blocks for the past 540 Myrs and a global APWP since the assembly of Pangea at 320 Ma. The spherical spline method is superior to the running mean technique, particularly in intervals with poor data coverage or where pole ages are unevenly distributed. 
Professor Trond Helge TorsvikUniversity of Oslo, Norway
Professor Trond Helge TorsvikUniversity of Oslo, Norway Professor in Geodynamics at the University of Oslo and founding Director of two Norwegian Centers of Excellence, the Center for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED: 2013-2023) and the Center for Planetary Habitability (PHAB: 2023-2033). Torsvik is an expert in paleomagnetism, Earth History, paleogeography, plate tectonics and mantle dynamics. He is a member of the Norwegian Academy and awarded the prestigious Wollaston Medal (Geological Society London) in 2024, the Fridjof Nansen Medal (Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters) in 2017, and the Arthur Holmes Medal (European Union of Geosciences) in 2016 among various other awards and prizes. He has written more than 250 articles and one book - Earth History and Palaeogeography (Cambridge University Press, 2017) - which received the PROSE Award in 2018 for best Earth Sciences book. |
| 16:45-17:00 |
Discussion
|