Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We present new, full geomagnetic field vector results from three Neolithic ovens discovered at the archaeological site of Portonovo (Marche, Italy). The discovered structures are a rare example of very well preserved underground ovens from the Early Neolithic period. Standard thermal demagnetization procedures were used to isolate the direction of the Characteristic Remanent Magnetization acquired by the baked clay during the ovens' last firing. The corresponding archaeointensities were determined by the multi-specimen procedure (MSP-DSC) and show a clear intensity low during the Neolithic period. Both directional and intensity results are of high quality, offering the first contribution of full geomagnetic field vector data for this period in Italy. The new data are compared with other contemporaneous data from Europe and with global geomagnetic field models. Independent archaeomagnetic dating of the three ovens was also performed by means of the SCHA.DIF.14k model. The obtained results are in excellent agreement with available radiocarbon dates and confirm that all ovens belong to the Neolithic. These new data importantly enrich our knowledge of the geomagnetic field during the Neolithic period that is poorly documented by data, not only in Italy but also in the whole of Europe and show that archaeomagnetic dating can provide precise results even for prehistoric periods.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01357276
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357276
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.05.003

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD European Geosciences Union (EGU)
Résumé : International audience
Holocene climate fluctuations and human activity since the Neolithic have shaped present-day Mediter-ranean environments. Separating anthropogenic effects from climatic impacts to better understand Mediterranean pale-oenvironmental changes over the last millennia remains a challenging issue. High-resolution pollen analyses were un-dertaken on two cores from the Palavasian lagoon system (Hérault, southern France). These records allow reconstruction of vegetation dynamics over the last 4500 years. Results are compared with climatic, historical and archeological archives. A long-term aridification trend is highlighted during the late Holocene, and three superimposed arid events are recorded at 4600–4300, 2800–2400 and 1300–1100 cal BP. These periods of high-frequency climate variability coincide in time with the rapid climatic events observed in the Atlantic Ocean (Bond et al., 2001). From the Bronze Age (4000 cal BP) to the end of the Iron Age (around 2000 cal BP), the spread of sclerophyllous taxa and loss of forest cover result from anthropogenic impact. Classical Antiquity is characterized by a major reforestation event related to the concentration of rural activity and populations in coastal plains leading to forest recovery in the mountains. A major regional deforestation occurred at the beginning of the High Middle Ages. Around 1000 cal BP, forest cover is minimal while the cover of olive, chestnut and walnut expands in relation to increasing human influence. The present-day vegetation dominated by Mediterranean shrubland and pines has been in existence since the beginning of the 20th century.
ISSN: 1814-9324

hal-01447627
https://hal-univ-tlse2.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01447627
https://hal-univ-tlse2.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01447627/document
https://hal-univ-tlse2.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01447627/file/Azuara%20et%20al%202015_cor.pdf
DOI : 10.5194/cp-11-1769-2015

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The Earth's magnetic field shows a large range of temporal variations from the year to several million years. I studied during my PhD thesis several aspects of these fluctuations, from recent secular variations to reversals. The first part of my manuscript deals with archeomagnetism, a discipline that allows to track the temporal variations of the Earth's magnetic field through millennia, mainly from archeological materials. I studied two sets of samples , one from Greece (Neolithic period 6800-3200 B.C.) and the other from Mexico (Palenque, Maya Classic period 320-840 A.D.), to acquire new archeointensity data in order to better constrain the secular variation of the geomagnetic field. By comparing my data with those available in the literature and with the various global and regional models, I showed that the secular variations during the Neolithic in Greece and during the first millennium in Central America are poorly defined. My data suggest that local components, not described by global models, may exist in these regions. They reinforce the importance of developing specific regional models. As a consequence, the acquisition of new high quality data is of main importance. The second part presents the description of a geomagnetic field reversal. This work was based on two points : first by studying transitional directions to provide new constraints on the possible preferred longitudinal paths of virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) and second by checking transitional paleointensities obtained on a volcanic sequence in Akaroa volcano (New Zealand). Indeed the transitional field intensity is significantly higher than the field intensity before and after the reversal. We re-sampled this sequence, and the directional results show a complex sequence of N-T-R-T-N-T-R polarity. The transitional VGPs obtained are clustered in two longitudinal bands through Australia and America. This observation seems to reinforce the assumption of a core-mantle interaction over several million years. Following a rock magnetic study, I selected samples that could provide a value for the Thellier and multispecimen paleointensity methods. The obtained paleointensity are relatively low (about 20 μT) during the polarity change and strong at the end of the sequence. Based both on the field strength values and on the radiochronological ages, showing that the sequence was erupted in a very short time, I suggest that only the C4AR.1n-C4Ar.1r reversal was recorded in this sequence. In this assumption, the reversal shows a complex path comparable to other reversals recorded in the northern hemisphere (for example the Steens Mountain ), including a rebound before stabilizing. Finally the last part is devoted to the development of a new methodology and a new apparatus to determine absolute paleointensity. Following the low success rate of paleointensity experiments from the previous study, I decided to test the multispecimen protocol, which can be applied to samples yielding a predominant multidomaine behavior. The main technical drawback of this method lies in the application of the laboratory field along the natural remanent magnetization, a difficult task to perform accurately in standard paleointensity ovens. Thus, we decided to adapt sample holders from our standard oven in order to allow the sample orientation in space and to develop an ultra-fast heating oven prototype particularly well-suited for this method, allowing to apply the laboratory field in the 3 dimensions. I checked the different multispecimen protocols on historical lavas from Reunion and Etna volcano, yielding very different magnetic mineralogies. For all flows, I obtained paleointensities very close from the expected values, regardless from the magnetic mineralogy, revealing the feasibility of our apparatus and the promising interest of the method. The application of various corrections on the statistical estimation of the intensity value or on the cooling rate had no significant impact on my results.
La première partie de ma thèse porte sur l'archéomagnétisme, discipline qui permet de retracer l'évolution temporelle du champ magnétique terrestre au travers des derniers millénaires, principalement à partir des matériaux archéologiques. J'ai étudié deux jeux d'échantillons provenant pour l'un de la Grèce (période néolithique, 6800-3200 avant J.C.) et pour l'autre du Mexique (Palenque, période Maya Classique 320-840 après J.C.), dans le but d'acquérir de nouvelles données d'archéointensité et de mieux contraindre la variation séculaire du champ magnétique terrestre. La comparaison de mes données avec celles disponibles dans la bibliographie et avec les différents modèles globaux et régionaux a mis en évidence que les variations séculaires au Néolithique en Grèce et au cours du premier millénaire en Amérique Centrale sont très mal définies. Mes données suggèrent que des composantes locales, non prisent en compte dans les modèles globaux peuvent exister au niveau de ces régions. Elles renforcent l'intérêt de développer des modèles régionaux précis. Pour ce faire, l'acquisition de nouvelles données de haute qualitéest un élément majeur. La deuxième partie traite de la description d'un renversement du champ magnétique terrestre. Cette étude a été basée sur deux points précis : étudier les directions transitionnelles afin d'apporter de nouvelles contraintes sur le possible confinement longitudinal des pôles géomagnétiques virtuels (PGV) d'une part, et d'autre part vérifier des paléointensités transitionnelles obtenues sur la séquence volcanique d'Akaroa (Nouvelle Zélande), dont l'intensité est significativement supérieure à celles des intensités avant et après le renversement. Nous avons ré-échantillonné cette séquence, et l'évolution directionnelle obtenue pour ce renversement est une succession complexe de polarités N-T-R-T-N-T-R. Les PGV obtenus semblent se regrouper sous deux bandes longitudinales sous l'Australie et l'Amérique, ce qui renforce l'hypothèse d'une interaction entre le manteau et le noyau sur plusieurs millions d'années. Suite à une étude de minéralogie magnétique, j'ai sélectionné les échantillons susceptibles de fournir une valeur de paléointensité par les méthodes de Thellier et du multispecimen. Les paléointensités obtenues sont relativement faibles (environ 20 μT) au cours du changement de polarité et forte à la fin de la séquence. Mon interprétation, basée à la fois sur les valeurs de l'intensité du champ et sur les données radiochronologiques montrant que la séquence s'est mise en place très rapidement, est de considérer que seul le renversement C4Ar.1n-C4Ar.1r a été enregistré dans cette séquence. Dans cette hypothèse, le renversement montre un cheminement complexe comparable à d'autres renversements enregistrés dans l'hémisphère nord (comme celui de la Steens Mountain par exemple), incluant un phénomène de rebond avant de se stabiliser. La troisième partie de ma thèse est consacrée au développement d'une nouvelle méthodologie et d'un nouvel appareillage pour déterminer des paléointensités. Le faible taux de réussite des expériences de paléointensité de l'étude précédente m'a poussé à m'intéresser au protocole multispecimen, qui peut s'appliquer aux échantillons possédant un comportement polydomaine. L'inconvénient technique majeur de cette méthode réside dans l'application du champ le long de l'aimantation naturelle, difficile à réaliser avec précision dans les fours standards. Pour ce faire, nous avons décidé de développer des porte-échantillons permettant d'orienter les échantillons dans l'espace pour le four standard et un prototype de four à chauffage ultra-rapide particulièrement bien adapté avec la possibilité d'orienter le champ appliqué dans les 3 dimensions. J'ai testé les différents protocoles de la méthode sur des laves historiques de la Réunion et de l'Etna, possédant des minéralogies très différentes. Pour l'ensemble des coulées étudiées, j'ai obtenu des paléointensités très proches des valeurs attendues, et ce indépendamment de la minéralogie, révélant ainsi le faisabilité de notre appareillage et le côté prometteur de la méthode. L'application de diverses corrections sur la statistique d'estimation de la valeur de l'intensité ou sur le taux de refroidissement n'ont eu aucun impact notable sur mes résultats.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00719380

tel-00719380
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00719380
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00719380/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00719380/file/thesefanjat2012.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Numerous archeomagnetic studies have provided high quality data for both the direction and the intensity of the geomagnetic field, essentially in Europe for the last 10 millennia. In particular, Greece supplies a lot of archeological materials due to its impressive cultural heritage and volcanic activity, so that numerous data have been obtained from burnt clays or historical lava flows. The most recent Greek secular variation curves are available for the last 8 millennia for the intensity and the last 6 millennia for the direction. Nevertheless, the coverage still presents several gaps for periods older than 2500 BC. In an effort to complete the Greek curve and extend it to older times, we present the archeointensity results from three Neolithic settlements in Northern Greece. The samples are of two different natures: burnt structures from Avgi (5250 ± 150 BC) and Vasili (4800 ± 200 BC), as well as ceramics from Dikili Tash (4830 ± 80 BC) and Vasili (4750 ± 250 BC). The samples have been subjected to standard rock magnetic analyses in order to estimate the thermal stability and the domain state of the magnetic carriers before archeointensity measurements. Surprisingly, very few ceramic samples provided reliable archeointensities whereas samples from burnt structures presented a very good success rate. Complementary studies showed that a detailed examination of the matrix color, following archeological information and classification standards can be a decisive test for pre-selection of sherds. In spite of these unsuccessful measurements from ceramics, we obtained an intensity value of 73.5 ± 1.1 μT for Dikili Tash, a higher value than the other data obtained in the same area, during the same period. However we do not have evidences for a technical artefact during the experiment. The burnt structures yielded two reliable archeointensities of 36.1 ± 1.8 μT and 46.6 ± 3.4 μT for Avgi and Vasili, respectively. Finally, we achieved a new archeomagnetic dating for these sites by comparing these new archeointensity values, combined to the directional measurements already published, with the Bulgarian secular variation curve. These new results contribute to extend the Greek secular variation reference curve towards older periods.
ISSN: 0031-9201

hal-00805575
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00805575
DOI : 10.1016/j.pepi.2012.10.011

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
The understanding of crop domestication is dependent on tracking the original geographical distribution of wild relatives. The faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is economically important in many countries around the world; nevertheless, its origin has been debated because its ancestor could not be securely identified. Recent investigations in the site of el-Wad (Mount Carmel, Israel), provide the first and, so far, only remains of the lost ancestor of faba bean. X-ray CT scan analysis of the faba beans provides the first set of measurements of the biometry of this species before its domestication. The presence of wild specimens in Mount Carmel, 14,000 years ago, supports that the wild variety grew nearby in the Lower Galilee where the first domestication was documented for Neolithic farmers 10,200 years ago.
ISSN: 2045-2322

Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
hal-01417973
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01417973
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01417973/document
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01417973/file/srep37399.pdf
DOI : 10.1038/srep37399