High-Fidelity Archeointensity Results for the Late Neolithic Period From Central China

Archeomagnetism focuses on exploring high-resolution variations of the geomagnetic field over hundreds to thousands of years. In this study, we carried out a comprehensive study of chronology, absolute and relative paleointensity on a late Neolithic site in central China. Ages of the samples are constrained to be similar to 3,500-3,000 BCE, a period when available paleointensity data are sparse. We present a total of 64 high-fidelity absolute paleointensities, demonstrating the field varied quickly from similar to 55 to similar to 90 ZAm(2) between similar to 3,500-3,000 BCE. Our results record a new archeomagnetic jerk around 3,300 BCE, which is probably non-dipolar origin. The new results provide robust constraints on global geomagnetic models. We calculated a revised Chinese archeointensity reference curve for future application. The variations of absolute and relative paleointensity versus depth show good consistency, reinforcing the reliability of our results. This new attempt of combining absolute and relative paleointenstiy provides a useful tool for future archeomagnetic research. Plain Language Summary The geomagnetic field is generated in the Earth's liquid outer core; its behavior can provide us information on the Earth's interior and help us understand processes deep in the planet we live on. The magnetic field surrounds the Earth and acts like an umbrella protecting the planet from strong solar winds, and thus the geomagnetic behavior can affect life on the Earth. Understanding the evolution of the geomagnetic field allows us to learn about the Earth in the past and can help us predict what will happen in the future. The geomagnetic field includes both dipolar and non-dipolar components, with the former related to global and the latter to regional features. Studying regional geomagnetic variations from different areas is essential for outlining regional features and global distributions of the field. In this study, we carried out archeomagnetic research on a late Neolithic archeological site in central China. The high-fidelity results fill a gap of the present data set in both space and time, and thus refine both the regional and global geomagnetic models significantly. The newly released Chinese archeointensity reference curve in this study can be used for regional geomagnetic comparison as well as for archeological dating in this region.