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First archaeointensity reference paleosecular variation curve for South America and its implications for geomagnetism and archaeology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2019

Avto Goguitchaichvili ,
Catriel Greco ,
Rafael Garcia Ruiz ,
Lucas Pereyra Domingorena ,
Ruben Cejudo ,
Juan Morales ,
Claudia Gogorza ,
Cristina Scattolin  and
Myriam Tarragó
Avto Goguitchaichvili*
Affiliation:
Servicio Arqueomagnético Nacional and Laboratorio Interinstitucional de Magnetismo Natural, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, (58089) Mexico
Catriel Greco
Affiliation:
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - Departamento de Geología, Universidad de San Luis, San Luis (5700) Argentina
Rafael Garcia Ruiz
Affiliation:
Servicio Arqueomagnético Nacional and Laboratorio Interinstitucional de Magnetismo Natural, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, (58089) Mexico
Lucas Pereyra Domingorena
Affiliation:
Instituto de las Culturas, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (1093) Argentina
Ruben Cejudo
Affiliation:
Servicio Arqueomagnético Nacional and Laboratorio Interinstitucional de Magnetismo Natural, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, (58089) Mexico
Juan Morales
Affiliation:
Servicio Arqueomagnético Nacional and Laboratorio Interinstitucional de Magnetismo Natural, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, (58089) Mexico
Claudia Gogorza
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires - Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Tandil (7000), Argentina
Cristina Scattolin
Affiliation:
Instituto de las Culturas, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (1093) Argentina
Myriam Tarragó
Affiliation:
Instituto de las Culturas, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (1093) Argentina
*
*Corresponding author e-mail address: avto@geofisica.unam.mx
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Abstract

We report comprehensive rock-magnetic and archaeointensity investigations from 21 well-constrained pottery fragments from the Catamarca province of northwest Argentina. The absolute ages of the studied sites are ascertained by several high-quality radiometric ages and range between 1940 to 114014C yr BP. Magnetic mineralogy experiments indicates that the remanence is carried by thermally stable Ti-poor titanomagnetites. Forty-seven samples belonging to 11 out of 98 studied potsherds yielded reliable absolute intensity determinations judging from the quality parameters associated with the Thellier double-heating experiments. Moreover, we analyzed the available absolute geomagnetic intensities associated with the radiometric ages to construct the first intensity paleosecular variation curve (PSVC) for South America using thermoremanent magnetization carried by burned archaeological artifacts obtained in the present investigation and 79 other selected archaeointensities (out of 213 published in the literature). The dataset is used to build the PSVC reference curve by combined bootstrap and temporal P-spline methods. The variation curve shows significant differences with the global prediction model SHA.DIF.14k mainly based on the GEOMAGIA database. This intensity PSVC curve shows reasonably good agreement with paleosecular variation curves for Europe between 850 through 1150 BC and for Asia between 1000 and 1500 BC. This regional curve may be used as most reliable archaeomagnetic dating tool for the major part of South America (Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia) for the last two millennia.

Keywords

ArchaeomagnetismNorthwest ArgentinaPaleosecular variationAbsolute geomagnetic intensityPre-Columbian potteryArchaeomagnetic dating

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 92 , Issue 1 , July 2019 , pp. 81 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2019 

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References

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