Archaeomagnetism is
the investigation of archaeological sites or objects with geophysical
methods based on the interaction between magnetic minerals of the
archaeological object and the Earth's magnetic field. The major
applications/research topics of archaeomagnetism are studies of the
geomagnetic field as recorded by the magnetic
minerals of the archaeological material. This geomagnetic information
is used to construct secular
variation curves, being the
main topic of the AARCH training network. Another application are magnetic
prospection surveys (magnetic mapping) of buried archaeological objects.
Baked
material, such
as baked clay, bricks and tiles are used to obtain direction and
intensity of the ancient geomagnetic field during archaeological
periods of time. After precise determination of declination,
inclination and intensity a reliable date
of the archaeological site can be obtained from secular variation curves.
Beside the aspect of archaeomagnetic dating, secular variation
master curves from different regions (area of about 250 000 km2)
yield valuable information about the dynamics of the Earth's magnetic
field of the past.
