Magnetic dating of Quaternary sediments, volcanites and archaeological materials: an overview

Abstract. Magnetic dating includes all approaches dealing with the temporal variation of the Earth’s magnetic field (EMF) as well as with the application of climate dependent variations of rock magnetic properties of sedimentary sequences and their correlation to independently dated palaeoclimatic archives. Palaeomagnetism has an outstanding impact on geosciences in general and especially on Quaternary chronology and palaeoclimate research. Palaeomagnetic dating employs the temporal variation of the direction as well as the intensity of the EMF on time scales from 102 to 107 years. The well-known temporal pattern of reversals of the EMF on time scales from 104 to 107 years and the shorter secular variation (amplitude 10-30°, time scale 1 to 103 years) provide an excellent tool for stratigraphic subdivisions. Records of the intensity variations of the EMF as well as the indirect dating by means of correlating rock magnetic property variations from sedimentary archives to dated palaeoclimatic records also serve as dating tools. Field methods as well as laboratory methods and techniques in data analysis will not be discussed in this paper. It is our aim to give a short and subjective overview on palaeomagnetism and magnetic susceptibility stratigraphy as dating tools in Quaternary science.