Geomagnetic excursions: knowns and unknowns

Geomagnetic excursions are short-lived episodes when Earth’s magnetic field deviates into an intermediate polarity state. Understanding the origin, frequency, amplitude, duration, and field behavior associated with excursions is a forefront research area within solid earth geophysics. Recent advances in excursion research are summarized here, and key further research is suggested to resolve major unanswered questions. Improving the global distribution of excursion records, particularly from the southern hemisphere, obtaining high-resolution sedimentary excursion records with good age control from sites with sedimentation rates >10 cm/kyr, obtaining volcanic excursion records coupled with high-precision geochronology, and estimating excursion duration with high chronological precision will all facilitate hypothesis testing concerning the deep earth dynamics that generate geomagnetic excursions.