Analyzing absolute paleointensity determinations: Acceptance criteria and the software ThellierTool4.0

Abstract

The ThellierTool4.0 is an intuitive and easy‐to‐use software which provides the possibility to analyze a wide range of different modifications of the Thellier absolute paleointensity experiment (available at http://earthref.org/tools/). Besides the Arai plot for paleointensity determination, orthogonal projections of the direction, decay of NRM during thermal demagnetization, and additional plots regarding alteration and multidomain checks enable the user to visualize the quality of individual determinations. Experimental checks for magnetomineralogical changes, either in‐field or zero‐field pTRM* checks, are evaluated regarding their differences to the corresponding pTRM* acquisition in two most commonly used ways. Furthermore, a measure for the cumulative alteration differences beginning at room temperature is calculated, and the possibility to correct for magnetomineralogical changes is provided. Two different experimental methods to check for multidomain bias are supported and analyzed by the software. Intensity differences recorded by pTRM*‐tail checks are calculated. Accounting for the directional difference between applied laboratory field and magnetization of the sample, the effective pTRM*‐tail is determined, and thus failures of Thellier's law of independence are monitored. Failures of the law of additivity, experimentally observed by additivity checks, are also evaluated by the software. The vectorial character of individual measurements is fully considered for all calculations. Uniform selection criteria for acceptance and rejection of determinations can be applied, and a set of such criteria with emphasis on minimal bias due to alteration, multidomain remanence, and analysis/experimental inaccuracies is suggested.