单项选择题
Periodic realignment of the Earth’s magnetic field occurs two ways: the
first, "field regeneration", or the creation of new magnetic fields from the
ambient geomagnetic field, takes place because magnetic field lines are trapped
Line in effective electrical conductors. The field is trapped in molten iron which
(5) moves in response to the forces imposed upon it and as the core moves, the field
lines are stretched and twisted, creating a new magnetic field. The second
process is the diffusion of the magnetic fields: in the same way that a drop of
dye will soon diffuse throughout a swimming pool, a concentration of magnetic
field lines diffuses throughout the planet’s outer core. On the large scale of
(10) stars and planets, the field lines are caught up in the fluid motion and distorted,
generating a new magnetic field before diffusing away. This rarer type of field
reversal is likely caused by unexplained larger changes in the flow in the outer
core, though scientists have suggested such fluctuations may simply be extreme
examples of fluctuations in the dynamo processes-an El Nino in the weather of
(15) the outer core.
(A) They are infrequent events, whose causes are yet to be conclusively established.
(B) They occur infrequently but at regular intervals, more often through the diffusion process than "field regeneration".
(C) They occur regularly, more often through the "field regeneration" process than through diffusion.
(D) They occur frequently but irregularly, because "field regeneration" is more often the cause.
(E) They occur irregularly, largely because they are dependent on the rare large changes in the flow of the earth’s core.