Interpretation of the lithospheric magnetic field

We review some of the controversial and exciting interpretations of the magnetic field of the earth’s lithosphere occurring in the four year period ending with the IAGA meeting in Sopron in 2009. This period corresponds to the end of the Decade of Geopotential Research, an interna-tional effort to promote and coordinate a continuous monitoring of geopotential field variability in the near-Earth environment. Among the products of the Decade has been the first edition of the Digital Magnetic Anomaly map of the world, the first global map of the magnetic field of the earth’s lithosphere. In this article we review interpretations of the lithospheric magnetic field that bear on impacts, tectonics, resource exploration, and lower crustal processes. Key words: Earth’s magnetic field – Lithosphere