Historia del campo geomagnético de Costa Rica

Abstract

The study of the geomagnetic field began with the publication of the book De Magnete (1600) of Sir William Gilbert (1504-1603). By influence of Sir Edmund Halley the British Marine is obligated to make measurements of the declination of the magnetic field wherever theirs ships go. Thus, Sir Edward Belcher measured it at the Cocos Island on board of The British ship Sulphur on 3 of april 1838, it gave a value of 8°23`49`` East. At the end of last century and at the beginning of this one, Henri Pittier did a sort of measurements of the magnetic declination of Costa Rica, thus allowing the publications of the first isogonic chart of Costa Rica for the year 1901.But it is not until 1965 when Gutiérrez Braun published a more actualized isogonic chart. In 1978 G. Leandro and J. Páez did the more sustained effort to get a detailed data of the magnetic field of Costa Rica, allowing the chart of 1978, actualized afterward by G. Leandro in 1984.