Archaeomagnetic Research Program
About the Program
 SWCV2000, the latest Southwest master curve. |
Statistical Research, Inc., has combined the resources and personnel from the Colorado State University Archaeometric Laboratory and the University of Arizona Archaeomagnetic Program to create a comprehensive archaeomagnetic research program with ties to the University of Arizona Department of Anthropology’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program for archaeological science.
SRI provides archaeomagnetic services to researchers from cultural resource management (CRM), academic, avocational, and non-profit institutions.
Objectives and Goals:
- Provide a high-quality, client-tailored product
- Pursue archaeomagnetic applications for the study of relevant sociocultural topics
- Compile and maintain a comprehensive archaeomagnetic database for broad-scale regional studies
- Expand the temporal and spatial coverage of archaeomagnetic data
How It Works:
Archaeomagnetic dating works by comparing the paleomagnetic directions recovered from in situ, fired sediments and soils to a regional calibration curve (see illustration).
Because it directly dates an archaeological
event of interest (e.g., the last use
of certain features), archaeomagnetism is
one of the few contextually sound
chronometric techniques available today.
