Since the ancient times, people have known that certain materials would always point to a fixed direction. Based on this principle, the ancient Chinese invented compass (known as ‘Si-nan’ at that time). These materials behave in this way because they are magnetised and the Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field. Whichever direction these objects turn, they would always revert to the direction in parallel with the magnetic field, which is known as the Earth’s geo-magnetic field.
The Earth’s geo-magnetic field is a combination of several magnetic fields generated by various sources superimposing on each other. More than 90% of the field is generated by the movement of conducting material inside the Earth’s core, which is often referred to as the Main Field. Other important sources of the geomagnetic field include electric current flowing in the ionized upper atmosphere and currents flowing within the earth’s crust. There are also local anomalies produced by mountain ranges, ore deposits, geological faults, and artificial products such as trains, aircraft, power lines etc.The discovery of geo-magnetism and the invention of compass enabled seafaring paved the way for the Age of Exploration, causing tremendous impacts on trades, wars and cultural exchanges. To date, compass is still a necessary tool for activities such as hiking, stargazing as well as marine and air navigation.Geo-magnetism as a career option Geo-physics is a specialty within the field of geo-science, or earth science. Geo-physicists can be of various types namely, Seismologists,Marine Geo-physicists, Mining Geo-physicists, Gravity Geo-physicists, Magnetic Geo-physicists etc. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,the number of jobs in this field is expected to grow by 18 percent from 2008 to 2018. The bureau also notes that geo-scientists made a median salary of $81,220 as of May 2009.
Education - Becoming a geo-scientist requires extensive education and training. A strong background in sciences, with emphasis on maths, physics and geology is important. Students with physics major often have an easier time in graduate school than those with only geology major. The more experience you can get with various computer platforms and software programmes, the better. Computer skills are a must. A graduate degree is required for most geo-physics jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a master’s degree is typically the preferred degree for research positions with the government and in private industry. It’s possible to break into the field of geo-physics with a bachelor’s degree, but positions open to bachelor’s degree graduates are usually entry-level jobs and limit the actual amount of research that the aspiring geophysicist can conduct. Unlike many other fields of science, a Ph.D. isn’t necessarily required for geo-physicists unless they plan on working as academic researchers and teachers at the post-secondary level.
Additional Qualifications – Geo-physicists and other geo-scientists who offer services directly to the public typically have to be licensed by the state in which their services are offered.This usually entails passing a licensing exam and meeting the minimum educational requirements. Geo-physicists also need to have a number of other skills and qualifications, such as strong knowledge of computers and computer simulation software. They also have to be excellent communicators, as many geoscientists work in teams and collaborate on research. Although strong academic course work is the most important element of training to be a geo-physicist, students interested in geophysics can also benefit from obtaining firsthand experience in the field itself. Access to such experiences depends largely on where you live. If you have access to local field trips conducted by academic or government organizations, they would expose you to the sorts of things geo-physicists are interested in.
Student internships or summer programmes with a geo-physical consulting company, an academic geo-physics department would be an invaluable experience.Career Options - Aside from careers in seismology and geo-magnetism, other career options exist for aspiring geo-physicists. The US Geological Survey notes different career options that include areas of both exploratory and applied research, including petroleum geophysics, marine geo-physics, environmental geo-physics, atmospheric physics, gravitational geo-physics, electrical geo-physics and heat flow fieldwork. The Princeton Review notes that the US Geological Survey employs about 10,000 different individuals in the geo-physics field. There are several categories of geophysics jobs: consulting, oil, academic, and government. Government and academic employment is highly competitive but very desirable. Starting salaries usually vary from 30K up to 50K, and the highest salaries are usually not more than 100K, unless you become involved in upper management.
The Princeton Review indicates that geophysicists often work in different capacities throughout the course of their careers. Because the earth changes slowly, many of the different fields that geo-physicists study are static systems in science that the geo-physicist can learn in their entirety in about five years. For that reason, geo-physicists often tend to work at one job for about a five-year block of time and then move on to another field of study within geo-science. Part of the rationale for doing this is further research and career development: Geo-scientists often seek to understand the inter-related nature of the various subfields within their discipline. Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India situated in Navi Mumbai. http://www.iigs.iigm.res.in/iigweb/index.php is one of the important colleges who offer geomagnetism course as a career option to the students.