Dark Ages
Cultural period in Greece between 1100 and 750 BC, subsequent to the Mycenaean age and followed by the Archaic period. During this period Greece was occupied by the Dorians.



Dating
Determination of a date, in absolute chronology, in the Christian reference system [before Christ (BC), after Christ (AC); before or after our era).



Declination (D)
Angle between geographic north (true north) and magnetic north of the geomagnetic field. Also angle between geographic north and the horizontal component of the magnetic remanence of a sample.



Demagnetisation
Action to eliminate the remanent magnetisation of a sample.

alternating field demagnetisation
Demagnetisation by applying a sufficiently strong alternating magnetic field which decreases smoothly towards zero.

thermal demagnetisation
Demagnetisation by heating above the Curie-or Néel-temperature followed by cooling in zero magnetic field to room temperature.



Depositional remanent magnetisation
Remanent magnetisation acquired by a sediment at the air/water sediment interface, by alignment of the magnetic particles. This remanent magnetisation may not be preserved at geological timescales due to bioturbation, cryoturbation, incomplete mechanical blocking of magnetic grains and diagenetic processes (see also post-depositional remanent magnetisation).



Detrital remanent magnetisation
General expression for the remanent magnetisation acquired by field alignment of magnetic particles during the deposition of a sediment (see depositional and post-depositional remanent magnetisation).



Diamagnetism
In materials with paired electrons (even number of electrons). All materials brought in a magnetic field show the effect of diamagnetism often masked by other more important effects of paramagnetism or ferromagnetism. The diamagnetic susceptibility is weak and negative. Examples: the most important constituents of rocks (quartz, feldspar, calcite).



Dipole field
The Earth magnetic field resembles to the field of a magnet placed at the centre of the Earth and inclined with respect to the Earths rotation axis and characterised by a magnetic north and south pole (dipole). Other forms of fields, designated multipolar fields, are called non-dipole fields.