Creating an Archaeomagnetic Dating Curve for Minnesota: Assessing the potential of Minnesota ceramic sherds to accurately record field intensity
2024-05
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
Creating an Archaeomagnetic Dating Curve for Minnesota: Assessing the potential of Minnesota ceramic sherds to accurately record field intensity
Alternative title
Authors
Published Date
2024-05
Publisher
Type
Thesis or Dissertation
Abstract
Precise dating of heat treated Minnesota artifacts is hampered by a scarcity of material suitable for radiocarbon dating, and uncertainties in stylistic dating of material culture (often > ± 500 years). Archaeomagnetic dating has the potential to refine the ages of nondiagnostic ceramics and other heated artifacts, but has not been implemented in Minnesota, as the region lacks a well-constrained reference curve. For this study, we analyze a collection of 21 ceramic sherds with differing material characteristics and ages, representative of the kinds of ceramics commonly found in southwest Minnesota. We performed rock magnetic analyses to better characterize the sherds, determining that the majority of specimens contain a range of magnetic grain sizes and compositions (magnetite/maghemite, goethite, and hematite). Archaeointensity experiments based on the IZZI method were encouraging, with approximately 86% of specimens showing promise under a modified version of the SELCRIT2 selection criteria. These results indicate that the construction of an archaeomagnetic reference curve for Minnesota (MARC) is feasible, and can be used as a tool to better constrain archaeological dates and the geomagnetic field in the state and surrounding area. Future work on this topic will deal with populating the MARC using archaeointensities and available radiocarbon dates.
Keywords
Description
University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. May 2024. Major: Earth Sciences. Advisors: Joshua Feinberg, Maxwell Brown. 1 computer file (PDF); vi, 64 pages.
Related to
Replaces
License
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Other identifiers
Suggested citation
Ramirez, Declan. (2024). Creating an Archaeomagnetic Dating Curve for Minnesota: Assessing the potential of Minnesota ceramic sherds to accurately record field intensity. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/264268.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.