NDLI: Chinese tombs oriented by a compass: Evidence from paleomagnetic changes versus the age of tombs

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Charvátová, Ivanka Klokočník, Jaroslav Kolmaš, Josef Kostelecký, Jan
Copyright Year	2011
Abstract	Extant written records indicate that knowledge of an ancient type of compass in China is very old — dating back to before the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) to at least the 4th century BC. Geomancy (feng shui) was practised for a long time (for millenia) and had a profound influence on the face of China’s landscape and city plans. The tombs (pyramids) near the former Chinese capital cities of Xi’an and Luoyang (together with their suburban fields and roads) show strong spatial orientations, sometimes along a basic South-North axis (relative to the geographic pole), but usually with deviations of several degrees to the East or West. The use of the compass means that the needle was directed towards the actual magnetic pole at the time of construction, or last reconstruction, of the respective tomb. However the magnetic pole, relative to the nearly ‘fixed’ geographic pole, shifts significantly over time. By matching paleomagnetic observations with modeled paleomagnetic history we have identified the date of pyramid construction in central China with the orientation relative to the magnetic pole positions at the respective time of construction. As in Mesoamerica, where according to the Fuson hypothesis the Olmécs and Maya oriented their ceremonial buildings and pyramids using a compass even before the Chinese, here in central China the same technique may have been used. We found a good agreement of trends between the paleodeclinations observed from tomb aligments and the available global geomagnetic field model CALS7K.2.
Starting Page	159
Ending Page	174
Page Count	16
File Format	PDF
ISSN	00393169
Journal	Studia Geophysica et Geodaetica
Volume Number	55
Issue Number	1
e-ISSN	15731626
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2011-02-12
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Chinese tombs (“pyramids”) magnetic compass paleomagnetic declination Fuson hypothesis Meteorology/Climatology Structural Geology Geophysics/Geodesy
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Geochemistry and Petrology Geophysics

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Pyramids and ceremonial centers in mesoamerica: Were they oriented using a magnetic compass?

Chinese tombs oriented by a compass: evidence from paleomagnetic declination changes versus tombs age

Chinese tombs oriented by a compass: Evidence from paleomagnetic changes versus the age of tombs

Preliminary Results from Paleomagnetic Records on Lake Sediments from South America

Thrust Ramp Geometry and Spurious Rotations of Paleomagnetic Vectors

Paleomagnetic Logs: A Tool for Dating Lake Erie's Past

Magnetic scanning and interpretation of paleomagnetic data from Prague Synform’s volcanics

Magnetic Characteristics of Different Soil Types from Bulgaria

Variable Solar Forcing and Climate Changes

Chinese tombs oriented by a compass: Evidence from paleomagnetic changes versus the age of tombs

Similar Documents

Pyramids and ceremonial centers in mesoamerica: Were they oriented using a magnetic compass?

Chinese tombs oriented by a compass: evidence from paleomagnetic declination changes versus tombs age

Chinese tombs oriented by a compass: Evidence from paleomagnetic changes versus the age of tombs

Preliminary Results from Paleomagnetic Records on Lake Sediments from South America

Thrust Ramp Geometry and Spurious Rotations of Paleomagnetic Vectors

Paleomagnetic Logs: A Tool for Dating Lake Erie's Past

Magnetic scanning and interpretation of paleomagnetic data from Prague Synform’s volcanics

Magnetic Characteristics of Different Soil Types from Bulgaria

Variable Solar Forcing and Climate Changes

Chinese tombs oriented by a compass: Evidence from paleomagnetic changes versus the age of tombs