The new ELI today is ‘When did the poles ‘flip’? Simulating how the Earth’s Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale was established.’

This activity can be used to help teach students to understand how the pattern of ocean floor anomalies (magnetic stripes) can be dated; something they rarely appreciate. It might be used prior to a lesson on the palaeomagnetic evidence for plate tectonics on the ocean floor.

Related activities can be found in our Plate tectonics and Oceanography categories.