Slow-mode shocks in the earth's magnetosphere

The locations and structure of slow-mode shocks in the earth's magnetosphere are reviewed. To date, such shocks have only been identified along the high latitude portions of the lobe-plasma sheet boundary of the geomagnetic tail. Although their intrinsic thickness is of the order of the upstream ion inertial length, they affect the internal state of a relatively much larger volume of surrounding plasma. In particular, they support a well-developed foreshock very similar to that observed upstream of the earth's bow shock, and a turbulent, strongly convecting downstream flow. They also figure importantly in the energy budget of geomagnetic substorms and produce effects which are closely analogous to much of the phenomenology known from solar observations to be associated with two-ribbon flares. 74 refs., 14 figs