When is little data enough data?
14 Aug 2024
Publication about a new method of data wrangling for paleomagnetists to achieve a high quality input data set for geodynamo modelling
14 Aug 2024
Publication about a new method of data wrangling for paleomagnetists to achieve a high quality input data set for geodynamo modelling
Paleomagnetic vectors recorded by rocks and archeological materials yield information on the structure of the magnetic field through Earth's history. The geomagnetic field mostly resembles a geocentric dipole aligned with the spin axis, but the directions at any given time and place generally deviate from this simple model. Data sets produced over several decades help define global magnetic field behavior. Here, we updated a compilation of paleomagnetic data and used it to establish a new field model representative of the last 10 million years. Prior or emerging data sets can be tested against the model to see whether the two agree in terms of field structure and variability. We tested data sets as old as 1.1 billion years and found them compatible with the model. Moreover, this model can also assess, and potentially correct data from sedimentary rocks that may have suffered from inclination shallowing. Although other correction methods exist, our approach employs a more complete description of the geometry of directional data, thereby allowing a more quantitative comparison of empirical and predicted distributions. Corrected inclinations and their uncertainties define paleolatitudes more accurately, key for plate tectonic and paleoclimatic reconstructions.