<p>The medium for a solar flare is plasma, so nothing like that occurs in the Earth's core. The outer core fluid is highly conductive and has a low viscosity, so changes may occur in the core's field, but the mantle has enough electrical conductivity to filter out the more rapid changes (those with periods of roughly a year or less). See <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=96APl4nK9lIC&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PR13&amp;ots=O7fUw9M43s&amp;sig=qQnld9cRXy9X1pUcGJn1MVvLjmI#v=onepage&amp;q=filter&amp;f=false" rel="noreferrer">Merrill and McElhinny pp 49-51</a> for details. However, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_jerk" rel="noreferrer">geomagnetic jerks</a> have been observed. These are abrupt changes in the second time derivative of the Earth's magnetic field. Sometimes they are global, although mantle filtering can <a href="https://academic.oup.com/gji/article/200/3/1336/629906" rel="noreferrer">delay the jerk by different amounts at different locations on the Earth's surface</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-03T03:21:48.640Z
for an example of a *big jerk* see answers to [What is the nature of the “unexpected geomagnetic pulse that took place beneath South America in 2016”?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/q/15948/6031)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-02T23:42:23.140Z
2020-02-02T23:42:23.140Z
A. Newell
<p>Solar Flares are a commonly discussed phenomenon, which have effects ranging from geomagnetic storms to radio disruptions to absolutely nothing noticeable. </p>

<p>Given that part of the core of the Earth is molten, and magnetic, is there any evidence either way of the core of the Earth producing 'geoflares' like Solar Flares?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-26T14:30:41.473Z
We do know through paleomagnetic techniques that the strength of the Earth's magnetic field varies in location with time, such as the Levantine Iron Age geomagnetic anomaly (LIAA) where a regional magnetic field ~3,000 years ago was twice the strength of the global average. Are you looking for information like that, or are you looking for evidence that these magnetic field variations had some secondary effect?
jeffronicus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-28T18:45:15.697Z
Looking for any indication of abrupt geomagnetic effects originating from the core of the Earth rather than the Sun.
Onyz
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-03T03:24:02.593Z
for other questions about jerks see https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/search?q=jerk
uhoh
<geophysics><core><solar-terrestrial-physics>
Does the Earth 'Flare' like the Sun does?
Onyz
# Does the Earth 'Flare' like the Sun does?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-05-24)

Solar Flares are a commonly discussed phenomenon, which have effects ranging from geomagnetic storms to radio disruptions to absolutely nothing noticeable.

Given that part of the core of the Earth is molten, and magnetic, is there any evidence either way of the core of the Earth producing 'geoflares' like Solar Flares?

**Tags:** geophysics, core, solar-terrestrial-physics

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: We do know through paleomagnetic techniques that the strength of the Earth's magnetic field varies in location with time, such as the Levantine Iron Age geomagnetic anomaly (LIAA) where a regional magnetic field ~3,000 years ago was twice the strength of the global average. Are you looking for information like that, or are you looking for evidence that these magnetic field variations had some secondary effect?  
> **username_0**: Looking for any indication of abrupt geomagnetic effects originating from the core of the Earth rather than the Sun.  
> **username_2**: for other questions about jerks see https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/search?q=jerk  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-02-02. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

The medium for a solar flare is plasma, so nothing like that occurs in the Earth's core. The outer core fluid is highly conductive and has a low viscosity, so changes may occur in the core's field, but the mantle has enough electrical conductivity to filter out the more rapid changes (those with periods of roughly a year or less). See [Merrill and McElhinny pp 49-51](https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=96APl4nK9lIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR13&ots=O7fUw9M43s&sig=qQnld9cRXy9X1pUcGJn1MVvLjmI#v=onepage&q=filter&f=false) for details. However, [geomagnetic jerks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_jerk) have been observed. These are abrupt changes in the second time derivative of the Earth's magnetic field. Sometimes they are global, although mantle filtering can [delay the jerk by different amounts at different locations on the Earth's surface](https://academic.oup.com/gji/article/200/3/1336/629906).

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: for an example of a *big jerk* see answers to [What is the nature of the “unexpected geomagnetic pulse that took place beneath South America in 2016”?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/q/15948/6031)  

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