Principal Facts of the Earth's Magnetism and Methods Of
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• * Class Book « % 9 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE U. S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY E. LESTER JONES, Superintendent PRINCIPAL FACTS OF THE EARTH’S MAGNETISM AND METHODS OF DETERMIN¬ ING THE TRUE MERIDIAN AND THE MAGNETIC DECLINATION [Reprinted from United States Magnetic Declination Tables and Isogonic Charts for 1902] [Reprinted from edition of 1914] WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1919 ( COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY OFFICE. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE U. S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY »» E. LESTER JONES, Superintendent PRINCIPAL FACTS OF THE EARTH’S MAGNETISM AND METHODS OF DETERMIN¬ ING THE TRUE MERIDIAN AND THE MAGNETIC DECLINATION [Reprinted from United States Magnetic Declination Tables and Isogonic Charts for 1902 ] i [ Reprinted from edition of 1914] WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 4 n; «f B. AUG 29 1913 ft • • * C c J 4 CONTENTS. Page. Preface. 7 Definitions. 9 Principal Facts Relating to the Earth’s Magnetism. Early History of the Compass. Discovery of the Lodestone. n Discovery of Polarity of Lodestone. iz Introduction of the Compass..... 15 Improvement of the Compass by Petrius Peregrinus. 16 Improvement of the Compass by Flavio Gioja. 20 Derivation of the word Compass. 21 Voyages of Discovery. 21 Compass Charts. 21 Birth of the Science of Terrestrial Magnetism. Discovery of the Magnetic Declination at Sea. 22 Discovery of the Magnetic Declination on Land. 25 Early Methods for Determining the Magnetic Declination and the Earliest Values on Land. 26 Discovery of the Magnetic Inclination. 30 The Earth, a Great Magnet. Gilbert’s “ De Magnete ”.'. 34 The Variations of the Earth’s Magnetism. Discovery of Secular Change of Magnetic Declination. 38 Characteristics of the Secular Change. 40 Diurnal Variation. 47 Annual Variation. 52 Minor Periodic Fluctuations. 53 Magnetic Storms. 53 Magnetic Observatories. 56 Magnetic Charts. Isogonic Lines. 62 Magnetic Meridians. 63 Magnetic Surveys. General Remarks. 65 Historical Summary. 67 Magnetic Survey of the United States. 70 The Earth’s Magnetic Poles and Magnetic Moment. Magnetic Poles. 73 Magnetic Moment. 76 Determination of the True Meridian and the Magnetic Declination. Determination of the True Meridian. By Observations on Polaris. 79 By Observations on the Sun. 92 Determination of the Magnetic Declination. With an Ordinary Compass or Transit. 96 With a Magnetometer. 96 Diurnal Variation of Declination at Observatories :.;... 100 3 ' ' ■ - f \i f ■ ILLUSTRATIONS. FIGURES. Page. 1. A Japanese South-pointing Cart (seventh century A. D.) . 13 2. Floating Compass used by Peregrinus (1269). 19 3. Double Pivoted Compass invented by Peregrinus (1269). 19 4. Lines of Equal Magnetic Declination for 1500 (van Bemmelen). 23 5. Compass Sun-dial showing Earliest Magnetic Declination at Paris (1541). 25 6. First Dip Circle (Norman’s, 1576). 32 7. Norman’s Experiment showing Action of the Earth on a Magnetic Needle. 33 8. Comparison of the Secular Change Curves of the Magnetic Declination at various Stations in the Northern Hemisphere. 44 9. Curves showing Secular Change in Magnetic Declination and Dip at London, Boston, and Baltimore. 45 10. Comparison of Curve showing Change in Magnetic Declination and Dip along Parallel of Latitude 40° North in 1885, with Curve showing Secular Change at Rome. 46 11. Diagram showing Diurnal Variation of the Magnetic Declination at Baldwin, Kansas., 1901.. 48 12. Coast and Geodetic Survey Magnetic Observatory at Cheltenham, Maryland. 57 13. Eschenhagen Magnetograph at Coast and Geodetic Survey Magnetic Observatory, Baldwin, Kansas. 59 14. Magnetograms showing Guatemala Earthquake Disturbance at Cheltenham Magnetic Observatory, April 18, 1902... 60 15. Magnetic Disturbance at Cheltenham Magnetic Observatory, April 10-11, 1902. 61 16. Magnetic Disturbance at Cheltenham Magnetic Observatory at time of Martinique Vol¬ canic Eruption, May 8, 1902. 61 17. Lines of Equal Magnetic Declination for 1600 (Hansteen) ..... 62 18. “ “ “ “ “ “ 1700 (Halley). 62 19. “ “ “ “ “ “ 1800 (Hansteen). 62 20. “ “ “ “ “ “ 1858 (British Admiralty). 62 21. “ “ “ “ “ “ 1905 ( “ “ ). 64 22. “ “ “ “ Dip “ 1905 ( “ “ ). 64 23. Magnetic Meridians for 1836 (Duperrey). 64 24. Lines of Equal Magnetic Declination in the Polar Regions for 1885 (Neumayer). 64 25. Mean Secular Change of the Magnetic Declination, 1890-1900 (Neumayer). 66 26. Map of Region around North Magnetic Pole (Schott, 1890). 75 27. Diagram of principal Stars in the Constellations Cassiopeia and Great Bear. 85 28. Coast and Geodetic Survey Magnetometer. 97 5 ■ * ' PREFACE The present publication is the third reprint of the portions of United States Magnetic Declination Tables for 1902 0 giving the Principal Facts of the Earth’s Magnetism and Methods for Determining the True Meridian and the Magnetic Declination, the other two having been issued in 1909 and 1914. In the reprints the Polaris tables, pages 80 to 91, have been revised and extended to meet present requirements. Similar tables are now published annually in the American Ephemeris, w'hich are less abridged and so make possible results of a higher degree of accuracy. The remainder of the text is practically unchanged. Some modifications of the statements therein contained are given below. Under the heading “Discovery of the magnetic declination on land” (p. 25), it may now be added that since the appearance of Hellmann’s paper in 1897 Wolkenhauer 6 has called attention to the existence of three sun-dial compasses made previous to the year 1492. The most interesting one of these, bearing the date 1451, has been examined and described by Hellmannc and strengthened his belief that the magnetic declina¬ tion on land was known before the first voyage of Columbus. In reviewing Hellmann’s paper, Bauerd has recently pointed out the possibility that “this additional find, valuable as it is, is simply another proof that while the divergence of the compass direction from the true meridian may have been noted, the divergence was not recognized at that time as a scientific fact, but as an error of the instrument.” In reference to the expedition of Capt. Roald Amundsen (p. 74), it may be said that an extended series of magnetic observations was made in the vicinity of the sup¬ posed location of the magnetic pole. The expedition also succeeded in making the Northwest Passage, reaching the Pacific coast of the United States by way of Bering Sea in the fall of 1906. The reduction of the observations has not yet (1919) been completed; at least no definite results have yet been announced. Much additional information has been obtained by the various Antarctic expedi¬ tions regarding the location of the south magnetic pole, but the results are not harmonious and suggest the possibility of local disturbance in that region. The Discovery expedi¬ tion under Capt. Scott, 1902 to 1904, made a large number of observations at the winter a United States Magnetic Declination Tables and Isogonic Charts for 1902, and Principal Facts Relating to the Earth’s Magnetism, by L. A. Bauer, Washington, 1902. Second Edition, Washington, D. C., 1903. *> Wolkenhauer, A. Beitrage zur Geschichte der Kartographie und Nautik des 15, bis 17, Jahr- hunderts, Inaug. Diss. Un. Gottingen, Munich, 1904. c Hellmann, G. Ueber die Kenntniss der magnetischen Deklination vor Christoph Columbus. Met. Zeits., April, 1906, pp. 145-149. d Bauer, L. A. Earliest Values of the Magnetic Declination. Terrestrial Magnetism, Vol. XIII, pp. 97-104. 7 8 PREFACE. quarters and on various sledging expeditions, as well as on the Discovery, before she was frozen in. A discussion of all the declination observations gave as the probable position of the magnetic pole 720 50' S. and 156° 20' E., and of the dip observations the position 720 52' S. and 156° 30' E., a remarkably close agreement. Douglas Mawson, of Shackleton’s party, endeavored to reach the magnetic pole, and actually observed a dip of 89° 48' in January, 1909. By comparing this with the results of his previous observations he estimated the position of the pole as 720 25' S. and 1550 16' E- Eric N. Webb, of the Australian Antarctic Expedition, made a large number of magnetic observations on the opposite side of the pole from Mawson, and on December 21, 1911, reached a point (70° 36' S. and 148° 12' E.) which he believed to be on the edge of the polar area. His observations, however, indicate an irregular distribution of magnetism, and one is therefore inclined, to place more reliance on the Discovery and Mawson results. The table on page 47 showing the diurnal variation of declination at Baldwin, Kans., has been supplemented by tables at the end of the volume showing the change of declination at other observatories of this Bureau. The statement on page 57, regard¬ ing the magnetic observatories of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, requires modifica¬ tion. The Baldwin observatory was abandoned in the autum of 1909 and the instru¬ ments were transferred to a new observatory near Tucson, Ariz. An observatory was established at Vieques, P. R., in 1903. Regarding the magnetic survey of the United States referred to on page 72, it should be stated that the first general survey has been completed, observations having been made at nearly every county seat in the country, and considerable progress has been made in the more detailed investigation of locally disturbed areas. The results have been published annually, and the collected results of all observations to the end of 1915, together with iso-magnetic maps, were published in 1917 as Special Publica¬ tion No. 44. DEFINITIONS. To avoid the confusion arising from the use or misuse of the term “variation of the compass,” the following terms are used instead throughout this publication: Magnetic declination: The angle by which the compass needle points to the east or west of true north. Secular change of the magnetic declination: The change in the magnetic declination with the lapse of years. 9 . PRINCIPAL FACTS RELATING TO THE EARTH’S MAGNETISM. EARLY HISTORY OF THE COMPASS.