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MCADAM: A continuous paleomagnetic dipole moment model for at least 3.7 billion years
  • Richard K. Bono,
  • Greig Paterson,
  • Andrew Biggin
Richard K. Bono
Florida State University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Greig Paterson
University of Liverpool
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Andrew Biggin
University of Liverpool
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Abstract

Understanding the evolution of Earth’s magnetic field can provide insights into core processes and can constrain plate tectonics and atmospheric shielding. The absolute paleointensity database PINT provides a curated repository of site mean, (i.e., cooling unit), estimates of the strength of the magnetic field. We present a minor update to the PINT database to version 8.1.0 by adding 248 records from 31 studies. The PINT database is used to define a continuous model of the dipole field, using an approach combining non-parametric and Monte Carlo resampling termed MCADAM. Three dipole field strength models spanning 50 ka to 3.7-4.2 Ga (MCADAM.1a-c) are presented, reflecting three tiers of increasingly more stringent data selection. The MCADAM models allow for the estimation of the magnetic standoff distance, constraining the shielding of Earth’s atmosphere against solar wind erosion provided by the geodynamo.