Geomagnetic Field Variations in the Past: New Data, Applications and Recent Advances
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In the last decades, palaeomagnetic research has provided important information about the past variation of the Earth's magnetic field (EMF) from its origin to the present day. However, questions regarding the origin and evolution of the EMF as well as the frequency and spatial distribution of its variations still remain open to debate. This Special Publication provides new insights into the study of the temporal and spatial evolution of the EMF presenting new data from palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic studies of archaeological materials, sediments and lavas. The papers presented cover a wide range of topics related to archaeology, stratigraphy and climate, including new data from several parts of the world, such as Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India and the Baltic Sea. This Special Publication aims to present an overview of the most recent secular variation studies and their use to disclose fundamental properties of the EMF evolution.
Archaeointensity of nineteenth-century Scottish firebricks from a foundry in Melbourne, Australia: comparisons with field models and magnetic observatory data Available to Purchase
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Published:September 23, 2020
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CitationAgathe Lisé-Pronovost, Tom Mallett, Andy I. R. Herries, 2020. "Archaeointensity of nineteenth-century Scottish firebricks from a foundry in Melbourne, Australia: comparisons with field models and magnetic observatory data", Geomagnetic Field Variations in the Past: New Data, Applications and Recent Advances, E. Tema, A. Di Chiara, E. Herrero-Bervera
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Abstract
An archaeomagnetic intensity study was conducted on nineteenth-century firebricks manufactured in Scotland and used in an iron foundry in Melbourne, Australia, between 1842 and 1864 CE. Archaeointensity results obtained from bricks with a single component of magnetization gave values of 61.45 ± 0.89 and 61.92 ± 6.84 μT. These values are in agreement with historical absolute intensity measurements taken at the Melbourne geomagnetic observatory between 1858 and 1863 CE (61.17 ± 0.078 μT) and with the gufm1 model based on mariners’ data. A high-temperature vector component, presumably acquired at the time of manufacture in Scotland, was isolated in certain firebricks and an archaeointensity of 48.3 ± 8.39 μT was obtained, which is consistent with the gufm1 model for Scotland at this time (48.79 μT). The dual archaeointensity record of the firebricks supports their geographical provenance, highlighting the potential for archaeointensity data to be used in archaeological artefact-sourcing studies, whilst anomalously high intensities recorded in one of the bricks highlight potential contamination issues from non-Earth magnetic fields in archaeometallurgical contexts. The new Melbourne archaeointensity data are the most precisely dated archaeomagnetic data produced so far for Australia.