Origin of deviations between the remanent magnetisation and inducing geomagnetic field direction in kilns and implications on archaeomagnetic dating

Standard secular variation curves of the geomagnetic field direction for the last few millennia for different countries in Europe, based mainly on baked materials discovered in archaeological sites, are reaching sufficient accuracy and reliability that archaeomagnetic dating within this timespan in these areas is becoming feasible now. Orientation errors during sampling and sample preparation can be kept to a minimum and measurement errors of baked materials are in general very small. Nevertheless, even when the secular variation in the site to be dated is similar to that in the reference site, systematic or regular deviations between the remanence vector and geomagnetic field direction in kilns, due to internal and external factors, may result in biased average magnetisation directions and consequently in diverging archaeomagnetic dates. In more or less circular kilns, important non-random deviations of the remanence direction in the walls, in function of the relative azimuth as seen from the centre of the kilns, have been noticed in spite of precise and highly reliable average kiln magnetisation directions. The effect was revealed in the walls of the combustion chambers of roman pottery kilns and of mediaeval brass melting and working kilns, of different shape, lined with refractory bricks. Several hypotheses for the origin of these deviations were examined and anisotropy and/or magnetic refraction are unlikely to be the principal causes. The regular component of these deviations may be responsible for a strongly biased average magnetisation direction when only part of the kiln wall is preserved or when sampling is limited to certain parts of it and consequently result in unreliable dates when applying the archaeomagnetic dating method.     

Isotopic fractionation of a loosely held atmospheric argon component in the Picture Gorge Basalts

Seven lava flows from the Picture Gorge “type section”, central Oregon, U.S.A., have been dated at 15.2 ± 0.6 m.y. by the K-Ar method. The preparation of the samples for the argon extraction work strongly affects the ages obtained, due to the presence of very large quantities of atmospheric argon held “loosely” within most of the rocks. Use of single large pieces of rock results in incomplete removal of this gas, argon isotopic fractionation and grossly incorrect ages. When powdered samples are used, the increase in surface area per unit mass helps in the removal of the “loosely” held atmospheric argon. The Picture Gorge Basalts contain traces of clays of the montmorillonite group; on hydration these clays swell up and apparently shut off minute cracks in the rocks, thereby trapping substantial amounts of atmospheric argon. It is recommended that when K-Ar dating of whole-rock samples showing traces of alteration has to be attempted, the specimens be crushed to approximately 10–30 mesh size prior to the argon extraction work.     

New magnetic mineralogy and archaeointensity results from greek kilns and baked clays

Seven archaeological sites in Northern Greece and a pottery assemblage from Ithaki Island (Ionian Sea) have provided material from kilns and a collection of baked clays. The whole dataset consists of 69 samples and covers a period of almost 4000 years. Although the majority of the samples was oriented, only few directions could be obtained, mostly due to small sample size and fragility. Detailed rock magnetic experiments identified magnetite/titano-magnetite and substituted magnetite as the main magnetic minerals. Variable amounts of haematite were detected in some cases. In three out of eight sites, multi-domain grains prevail, whereas single-, pseudo-single domain or mixtures are detected in the remaining five. The classical Thellier-Thellier palaeointensity method was applied to 94 specimens. Following stringent acceptance criteria, 66 results from the 8 sites were considered successful and retained. These new results show a convergence with regional and global compilations and improve the knowledge of the past geomagnetic field behaviour in Greece.     

Remagnetization in tertiary rocks from the Faeroe Islands

Palaeomagnetic investigations of highly oxidized interbasaltic horizons and associated Lower Tertiary lavas from the Faeroe Islads suggest a long history of magnetization. The remanence directions are composed mostly of two deviating directions of opposite polarities aligned along an axis which palaeomagnetically appears to be younger than that of the original field. This, in addition to the observation that both the baking and baked rocks in most cases show almost identical directional trends upon demagnetization, questions the general validity of the baked contact test. It is suggested that to a major extent post-baking processes, such as low-temperature oxidation and precipitation of ferric oxides, have remagnetized the lavas as well as the tuff layers. Only two of the seven interbasaltic horizons investigated appear to have retained the ‘primary’ magnetization. It is concluded that besides a high bulk oxidation state (induced prior to, or as a result of baking) a “hornfelsic” nature of the baked sediments may be a necessary requirement for establishing primary palaeomagnetic directions in many volcanic regions.     

Optically stimulated luminescence of amorphous/microcrystalline SiO2 (silex): Basic investigations and potential in archeological dosimetry

Unlike the well-studied optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signal of (macrocrystalline) quartz, not much is known about OSL from natural amorphous and microcrystalline silicon dioxide. These materials – generally termed “silex” – were widely used for prehistoric tool production, and thermoluminescence (TL) is routinely applied do date the firing event of heated specimens. This study presents data on basic OSL characteristics of silex such as signal composition and component-resolved thermal stability as well as the applicability of OSL for dating of burnt lithic tools.Fitting of LM-OSL curves yielded similar components (mostly five) as observed for quartz, with the photoionization cross-sections being in the same order of magnitude for both materials. Three different methods (LM-OSL pulse annealing, short-shine pulse annealing as well as the varying heating rate method) were applied to study the thermal stability of components and allowed calculating trap parameters E and s, and hence the electron retention lifetime. Only the most light-sensitive (“fast-like”) component proved to be of sufficient thermal stability for dating applications, as evidenced from coherent experimental results. All other components already diminished at preheating temperatures > 200 °C. Pulse annealing measurements further indicate that electron populations sampled by OSL and those responsible for the ca. 380 °C TL-“dating peak” are not identical. Dose recovery tests applying an OSL-SAR protocol with “hot bleach” in between the regeneration cycles showed good reproducibility of a known dose if only the initial OSL signal (ca. 0–0.5 s at 90% LED power) is used. Finally, obtained OSL-SAR and TL ages based on the blue TL emission are in agreement within errors for two Middle Paleolithic archeological samples showing a “fast-like” component. These results verify the experimental findings of sufficient long-term stability of the initial OSL signal. Since not all silex specimens deliver a bright and stable OSL signal, optical ages of suitable samples may serve as an additional internal check for the paleodose estimate rather than substituting TL as a standard technique for dating of heated silex.     

中国四川地区地球磁场强度的长期变化

运用 Thellier 逐步热退磁法,主要测定了我国四川一些地区新石器时期至明、清各朝代的地球磁场总强度值。本文结果表明,在过去5000多年里,该地区地球磁场的总强度随时间呈较大幅度的变化。将该地区与我国其它相关地区地球磁场总强度的长期变化曲线进行对比研究的结果表明:变化的总趋势大致可比,但最高值出现的时间不同.从过去四千年间,新疆、四川、广东、福建及洛阳一些地区的地球磁场强度变化曲线中最高峰和跨时千余年的"M"型变化中低峰出现的时间推得的滞后速度在0.01°-0.03°/a 之间。     

海原断裂带刺儿沟剖面烘烤次生黄土的光释光测年及其地质意义

选择海原活动断裂带刺儿沟剖面2个烘烤次生黄土样品LEDL0588H和LEDL0365的细颗粒石英,采用改进后的单测片再生法(SAR)和简单多测片再生剂量法(SMAR)进行了一系列实验研究。2个样品细颗粒石英的光释光信号均以快速组分为主,其等效剂量(DE)的预热坪实验表明,在180～260℃的预热温度范围内均能获得基本一致的DE值。SAR法测量不同预热温度下的释光感量变化、剂量恢复实验和LN/TN比值的关系以及SMAR法测量中LN/TN比值与预热温度的关系的研究表明,文中所采用的流程能有效地校正测量过程中释光信号感量变化。2种方法均适用于采自不同层位的2个烘烤样品细颗粒石英的OSL测年,并获得了非常接近的OSL年龄。2个样品最后一次被烘烤的时间可能代表的是同一时期的人类活动     

Archeoseismic study of damage in Roman and Medieval structures in the center of Cologne, Germany

The causes of damage observed in archeological records or preserved monuments are often difficult to be determined unequivocally, particularly when the possibility of secondary earthquake damage exists. Such secondary damage has been previously proposed for the Roman Praetorium, the governor’s palace in the center of Cologne. Ongoing excavations since 2007 revealed additional damage. The existing ground that has been uncovered and documented extends the affected area to 175?×?180 m. We present a comprehensive virtual model of the excavation area based on 200 3D laserscans together with a systematic analysis of the damage patterns and an improved model of the terrain during Roman/Medieval times including geotechnical parameters of the subsurface. Five locations with different damage patterns, including a Roman sewer, the octagonal central part of the Praetorium, a section with strongly inclined massive walls, a 13 m deep deformed well, a collapsed hypocaust, and damages in the Medieval mikveh are analyzed in detail. We use site-specific synthetic strong ground motion seismograms to test the possibility of earthquake-induced ground failures as a cause for the observed damage. This subsurface model is also used to test the possibility of hydraulically-induced damages by seepage and erosion of fine-grained material from stray sand. Heavy rainstorms can induce a direct stream of surface water through the fine sand layers to the ground water table. Simulated ground motion for assumed worst-case earthquake scenarios do not provoke slope instability at the level necessary to explain the structural damages.     

Defining a chronological framework for the Middle Stone Age in West Africa: Comparison of methods and models for OSL ages at Ounjougou (Mali)

Ounjougou is the name of a large complex of archaeological sites, that were extensively studied between 1997 and 2008 by the international team of the “Human settlement and palaeoenvironment in West Africa” project. This complex is important because well stratified Palaeolithic sites in West Africa are rare, and because it covers a long period of time (most of the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene) and exhibits a wide set of technical cultures. Therefore, for the first time it is possible to propose a chronological framework for the human settlement in this region that can be related to other technical cultures in Africa and to palaeoenvironmental data.The purpose of this paper is to present the OSL dating results obtained from 57 sediment samples that led to this framework. Measurements were first performed between 2004 and 2006 in Oxford (School of Geography), using micro-aliquots (2–10 grains) OSL and ICP-MS for determination of equivalent doses and beta-dose rates, respectively (gamma dose rates being deduced from field gamma spectrometry). More recently, new measurements were done on 28 samples of this former set at the IRAMAT-CRP2A laboratory in Bordeaux, where “true” single quartz grain OSL and high resolution gamma spectrometry measurements were performed. Both sets of results are, for all but two samples, statistically consistent with each other. A consistent chrono-stratigraphic framework can thus be deduced, covering the Upper Pleistocene. It suggests that the region was regularly visited during this time interval and more particularly during Marine Isotope Stage 3, when groups with different technical cultures followed each other relatively rapidly.     

Linking ground motion measurements and macroseismic observations in France: a case study based on accelerometric and macroseismic databases

Comparison between accelerometric and macroseismic observations is made for three M _w?=?4.5 earthquakes, which occurred in north-eastern France and south-western Germany in 2003 and 2004. Scalar and spectral instrumental parameters are processed from the accelerometric data recorded by nine accelerometric stations located between 29 and 180 km from the epicentres. Macroseismic data are based on French Internet reports. In addition to the single questionnaire intensity, analysis of the internal correlation between the encoded answers highlights four predominant fields of questions bearing different physical meanings: (1) “vibratory motions of small objects”, (2) “displacement and fall of objects”, (3) “acoustic noise” and (4) “personal feelings”. Best correlations between macroseismic and instrumental observations are obtained when the macroseismic parameters are averaged over 10-km-radius circles around each station. Macroseismic intensities predicted by published peak ground velocity (PGV)–intensity relationships agree with our observed intensities, contrary to those based on peak ground acceleration (PGA). Correlation between the macroseismic and instrumental data for intensities between II and V (EMS-98) is better for PGV than for PGA. Correlation with the response spectra exhibits clear frequency dependence for all macroseismic parameters. Horizontal and vertical components are significantly correlated with the macroseismic parameters between 1 and 10 Hz, a range corresponding to both natural frequencies of most buildings and high energy content in the seismic ground motion. Between 10 and 25 Hz, a clear lack of correlation between macroseismic and instrumental observations exists. It could be due to a combination of the decrease in the energy signal above 10 Hz, a high level of anthropogenic noise and an increase in variability in soil conditions. Above 25 Hz, the correlation coefficients between the acceleration response spectra and the macroseismic parameters are close to the PGA correlation level.     

Earthquake intensity distributions: a new view

Pioneering work by Nicolas Ambraseys and many collaborators demonstrates both the tremendous value of macroseismic data and the perils of its uncritical assessment. In numerous publications he shows that neglect of original sources and/or failure to appreciate the context of historical accounts, as well as use of unreliable indicators such as landsliding to determine intensities, commonly leads to inflated magnitude estimates for historical earthquakes. The U.S. Geological Survey “Did You Feel It?” (DYFI) system, which now collects and systematically interprets thousands of first-hand reports from felt earthquakes, provides the opportunity to explore further the biases associated with traditional intensity distributions determined from written (media or archival) accounts. I briefly summarize and further develop the results of Hough (2013), who shows that traditional intensity distributions imply more dramatic damage patterns than are documented by more spatially rich DYFI data, even when intensities are assigned according to the conservative practices established by Ambraseys’ work. I further consider the separate intensity–attenuation relations that have been developed to characterize intensities for historical and modern earthquakes in California, using traditionally assigned intensities and DYFI intensities, respectively. The results support the conclusion that traditionally assigned intensity values tend to be inflated by a fundamental bias towards reporting of dramatic rather than representative effects. I introduce an empirical correction-factor approach to correct for these biases. This allows the growing wealth of well-calibrated DYFI data to be used as calibration events in the analysis of historical earthquakes.     

Age of the oldest hominin settlements in Spain: Contribution of the combined U-series/ESR dating method applied to fossil teeth

This paper presents a synthesis of the combined Uranium-Series/ESR age results obtained on fossil teeth from several Early Pleistocene archaeological and/or palaeontological Spanish localities: Atapuerca Gran Dolina TD-6, Fuente Nueva-3, Barranco León, Venta Micena and Vallparadís. While the age results show some scattering, they are nevertheless encouraging and provide a significant contribution to the understanding of the first hominin settlements in Western Europe.These “old” samples are mainly characterised by high ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U activity ratios that may sometimes exceed secular equilibrium, and by high Uranium concentrations (several tens of ppm or more). The modelling of U-uptake is therefore really crucial for the age calculation process. In the case of the combined US–ESR approach, this uptake is derived from the U-series data measured in dental tissues, which seem to be strongly dependant on the hydro-geological context. Consequently, when dating “old” samples, a special attention has to be paid to the accuracy and the meaning of the U-series data collected from the dental tissues, which may be influenced by several factors such as spatial heterogeneity and recent U-uptake overprint. Some rapid scanning procedures should be developed in order to pre-identify the samples that are the most suitable for ESR dating.     

Developments in optically stimulated luminescence age control for geoarchaeological sediments and hearths in western New South Wales,Australia

Research conducted by the Western New South Wales Archaeology Program (WNSWAP) provides the opportunity to assess the reliability of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of late Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial sediments and burnt stone samples from arid zone geoarchaeological contexts. A large number of radiocarbon age determinations of charcoal preserved in heat retainer hearths provides independent chronological control at these contexts. We describe a rapid OSL methodology for dating burnt hearth stones to complement previously applied radiocarbon methods, which we have tested using 37 samples from hearths with radiocarbon determinations. We propose a geoarchaeological model in which these hearths were constructed by people whose activity took place on an archaeological surface, formed by the earlier deposition of fluvial sediments. Here we demonstrate the veracity of this model by dating sediments lying stratigraphically below the hearths, and use the radiocarbon age control and chronological consistency to assess the accuracy and reliability of both small aliquot and single grain single aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) OSL dating. While small aliquot age estimates are in most cases in agreement with independent control, the single grain determinations using a finite mixture model (FMM) appear to provide improved chronological resolution. Using single grains, we note some problems in the application of the FMM and in the dating of young samples in the range of 1–100 years. As many samples may have resided close to the surface since deposition, we have developed a mathematical function to describe gamma and cosmic dose rate contributions at burial depths down to 40 cm. These OSL age estimates allow us to reject the model of intensification of human activity as responsible for the observed pattern of archaeological radiocarbon determinations in this part of the Australian arid zone.     

Fluctuations of magnetic inclination and declination in Mexico during the last three millennia

Revealing the evolution of the past geomagnetic field is of dual interest. It is crucial to estimate the conditions of the Earth's deep interiors, while it offers a reliable absolute dating tool of burned archaeological artifacts. Although a substantial effort was paid during the last decade to construct a reference archaeomagnetic curve for Mesoamerica, mostly absolute intensity variations are revealed for the previous three millennia. Here, we report an updated directional (inclination and declination) reference secular variation curve based on volcanic lava flows and archaeological artifacts carrying full thermoremanent magnetization. A bootstrap method with penalized cubic b-splines was used to develop the directional curve. Relocation error exercise and strict selection criteria allowed to use 82 well-defined palaeodirections. Both data distribution density and the firm relationship between the ages and samples, ensure the reliability of the curve for the dating purposes. The combination of directional data with available intensity variation highlights some sudden geomagnetic field fluctuations.     

Hydro-mechanical properties of the Red Salt Clay (T4) – Relevancy of the minimum stress criterion for barrier integrity

The so-called Red Salt Clay (T4) is deposited as clay-rich clastic sediment at the base of the Aller-series forming a persistent lateral layer of up to 20 m thickness above the lower Zechstein-series. The clay layers may act as a protective shield in the hanging wall of gas storages or underground repositories in salt formations, thus resulting in a multi-barrier system. As a proof of its reliability comprehensive hydro-mechanical investigations were performed on clay samples recovered at different sites in Germany. Most important, rock tightness against various fluids was confirmed in the lab and field-scale. Remarkably, only if the fluid pressure equalises the acting minimal stress (i.e. violence of the “minimum stress criterion”) a significant increase of permeability is observed (“pathway dilatation”) but no macro-frac. However, the material properties from different locations showed a significant variability according to different burial depths. Thus the Red Salt Clay may act as natural analogue, representing the material variability of various indurated clays. In addition, the existing knowledge gained from practical mining activities can be used to evaluate extreme in situ loading conditions.     

考古标本岩石磁性的初步研究

讨论了考古标本中所含矿物的磁学性质与古代地球磁场强度测定数据可靠性之间的关系,进行了岩石磁学实验,包括高温、低温磁化率测定、居里温度测定、磁滞回线各参数的测定等．结果表明,文中所用各类标本（陶片、砖、烧土等）的主要载磁矿物为磁铁矿,采用这些标本用Ｔｈｅｌｌｉｅｒ方法进行逐步热退磁实验所测定的古强度数据较为可靠．     

First archaeomagnetic results and dating of Neolithic structures in northern Greece

Archaeomagnetism in Greece has continuously developed during the last decades. Numerous studies have provided high quality data and accurate secular variation curves for the direction and intensity of the geomagnetic field have been constructed. The Greek Secular Variation Curves (SVCs) cover the last 8 millennia for intensity and 6 millennia for direction. The coverage of the archaeological periods remains uneven, with several gaps, mostly in the directional dataset, with only two results for periods older than 2500 B.C. In the present contribution, the first archaeomagnetic results from Neolithic settlements in northern Greece are presented. For the present study, samples were collected from three different archaeological sites: burnt structures in Avgi (Kastoria) and Vasili (Farsala) and one oven from Sosandra (Aridaia). The natural remanent magnetization (NRM) grouping of all specimens indicated that the majority of the samples were burnt in situ, providing thus a reliable direction of the ancient field. Magnetic cleaning (both alternating-field and thermal) revealed the presence of one stable component of magnetisation. Rock magnetic experiments (acquisition of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM), thermal demagnetisation of the IRM, thermomagnetic curves) have been performed on pilot samples indicating that low coercivity magnetic minerals such as magnetite or Timagnetite are prevailing. The mean directions (declination D, inclination I and parameters of the Fisherian statistics), which arose from the three sites are as follows: Sosandra: D = 343°, I = 55.6°, ??₉₅ = 4.8°; Avgi: D = 10.1°, I = 53.4°, ??₉₅ = 4.2° and Vasili: D = 357.5°, I = 43.1°, ??₉₅ = 4.1°. The obtained data are in a very good agreement with results from Neolithic Bulgaria. This study represents the beginning of an effort to fill the gaps of the Greek secular variation curves and their extension to the Neolithic period.     

Using simple portable OSL measurements and laboratory characterisation to help understand complex and heterogeneous sediment sequences for luminescence dating

Many applications of luminescence dating to geo-archaeological and environmental systems face the challenges of complex depositional sequences with heterogeneous and incompletely bleached samples. Laboratory procedures can help to identify such samples, and rapid laboratory profiling developed over recent years can assist in forming a detailed appreciation of the luminescence stratigraphy of complex sites. However to assist with well-directed sampling, and with field interpretation of sediment sequences, such information is needed during the fieldwork period as well. This paper outlines the development of simple battery-powered IRSL/OSL readers at SUERC which have been designed to assist with field sampling for luminescence dating. The use of simple luminescence intensities, depletion rates and signal ratios is introduced which act, together with field gamma spectrometry, as proxies for underlying luminescence age, sensitivity and dosimetry within stratified sequences. Two case studies; the first summarizing experience derived from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and subsequent fieldwork, the second concerning Neolithic ditch fills from the Tavoliere district in southern Italy are presented. In both cases simple luminescence field measurements were extremely useful in helping to understand the depositional mechanisms and in identifying sediments with significant residual signals at time of deposition. Subsequent laboratory work has confirmed the utility of the data and approaches in both these cases.     

Luminescence dating of volcanic eruptions in Datong,northern China

In this study, fine-grain quartz was used for luminescence dating for lava baked samples from different sites in Datong. Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL), thermal transferred OSL (TT-OSL)/recuperated OSL (Re-OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) dating protocols were applied. For these samples, the OSL signals saturate at about 300–400 Gy, which limits their age to less than 100 ka based on their ambient dose rates. The TT-OSL/Re-OSL method has poor dose recovery. TL dating gives reliable results, and multiple-aliquot regenerative-dose TL method with sensitivity change correction based on the 325 °C TL peak of a test dose can be applied for samples up to 400 ka. The results indicate that the ages of the volcanoes in Datong are from 380 ka to 84 ka. The volcanic activity started earlier in the southeast area than those in the northwest part, which is consist with the literature data.     

Evaluation and archaeological potential of geophysical investigations of the Roman fort and baths in Northern Muntenia,România

The Roman fort from Sfârleanca is one of the most representative archaeological sites dating from the Roman period (2nd century A.D.) in Northern Muntenia. The existing natural and anthropic features of the environment required the application of geophysical methods in order to outline the spatial pattern of the buried remains, to define the geometry of the anthropogenic settlements and to obtain detailed information about different archaeological materials without digging. During the survey, two different geophysical methods have been employed: total magnetic field measurements and electrical resistance mapping using Twin-probe array. The instrument consists of GSM19W Overhauser magnetometers with GPS, in base-rover system, and a twin-probe array LGM 4-Point light hp. The measurements were used to draw primary maps of the physical parameters (total magnetic field strength/intensity, electrical resistance), and also processed maps (filtering, derivative). The magnetic results obtained by interpreting the anomalies yielded information about the limits of the fort, about the internal organization of the military structure (its axial road, partially its secondary road, the localization and the shape of its constructions) and at the bath and heating installation. A previously unknown element is the possible water supply pipe made of ceramic material highlighted by the mathematical modelling of the data obtained by the magnetic investigations. Electrical resistance results provide complementary information to the magnetic survey concerning the limits of the baths and the remains of the fort structure. This paper brings to light geophysical investigations into this Roman fort and baths, extending the picture produced by previous archaeological excavations that only dealt with a small part of the site. It indicates the importance of using geophysical methods in preliminary archaeological research and the advantages of combining total magnetic field measurements and electrical resistance mapping when investigating an archaeological site characterized by a number of environmental difficulties.