RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES, VOL. 10, ES4003, doi:10.2205/2007ES000258, 2008 Chart-making of the Earth’s main magnetic field

started when magnetic iron ore (rock rich of magnetite) was found. It is believed that a few hundreds years B. C. the Chinese were the first ones to use properties of magnetic iron ore to point out the directions. However, a thought that the Earth itself acts as a magnet appeared considerably later. First information on the use of magnetic compass in Europe relates to the end of XII century. Ideas on geomagnetic field, its direction and effects were put onto scientific grounds after the book “About magnet, magnetic bodies and about big magnet – the Earth ” had been published. Systematic quantitative investigations on the direction of the magnetic field of the Earth commenced in London over the lifetime of Gilbert. In Sweden as early as 1640, observations of local anomalies of the geomagnetic field direction were used for the prospecting of the iron ore. Sphere of application of magnetic methods covers different areas of geomagnetism, magnetism of rocks, paleomagnetism, magnetic prospecting, navigation on the basis of magnetometry, effects of magnetic field variation on human health, including crews of air-crafts, etc. Variety of applications of magnetic methods is so broad that it is practically impossible to consider all aspects in one paper. Apart from that, by now the most effective results of research of geomagnetism ar