The geomagnetism branch of the MUNICH EARTH OBSERVATORY is also well known as the GEOMAGNETIC OBSERVATORY FUERSTENFELDBRUCK. The International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), a member institution of the International Council for Science (ICSU), has assigned the international code FUR to our observatory.

On selected locations distributed over the whole globe, geomagnetic observatories are set up to track the long and short term changes of the Earth's magnetic field. These data are not only crucial to geo and space science, but also finds application in medical and biological studies. The data are widely used in ore and oil exploration, cartography and navigation.

It is the Munich Earth Observatory's RESPONSIBILITY to continuously measure the Earth's magnetic field at its location in Fuerstenfeldbruck, far away from the busy city of Munich and other industrial areas, where artificial magnetic fields would interfere the measurements. The geological subsurface at Fuerstenfeldbruck makes the location ideal to measure the magnetic main field that originates from the Earth's core. Measurements were started in 1939 and are a continuation of the measurements in Maisach (1927 - 1932) and Munich (1840 - 1926). This allows the Munich Earth Observatory to continue one of the oldest and most precious time series in geomagnetism.

• to reliably track the changes of the Earth's magnetic field with absolute accuracy and highest temporal resolution by means of the most advanced instruments and techniques available,
• to conduct research on the observatory's and others' geomagnetic field data and to attract external funding for these studies,
• to make available its expertise in geomagnetic field measurements to others in the form of international scientific co-operations, public outreach, and university education.

Measurements of the Earth's magnetic field strength and direction are made every second with high accuracy and precision. Online data are transmitted to the World Data Centers and national and international institutions by email every 10 minutes. FUR is a member of the INTERMAGNET (INTErnational Real-time MAGnetic observatory NETwork).

The Munich Earth Observatory is part of the Geophysics Section, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich.