66-687: Fitzhugh Mounds is an archaeological site in Madison Parish, Louisiana from the Plaquemine and Mississippian period dating to approximately 1200–1541 CE. It is the type site for the Fitzhugh Phase (1350–1500) of the Tensas Basin Plaquemine Mississippian chronology. The site was once an impressive seven-mound complex, with four of the platform mounds surrounding a central plaza . The site
132-578: A dilution refrigerator . Faraday force magnetometry can also be complicated by the presence of torque (see previous technique). This can be circumvented by varying the gradient field independently of the applied DC field so the torque and the Faraday force contribution can be separated, and/or by designing a Faraday force magnetometer that prevents the sample from being rotated. Optical magnetometry makes use of various optical techniques to measure magnetization. One such technique, Kerr magnetometry makes use of
198-448: A " buffer gas " through which the emitted photons pass, and a photon detector, arranged in that order. The buffer gas is usually helium or nitrogen and they are used to reduce collisions between the caesium vapour atoms. The basic principle that allows the device to operate is the fact that a caesium atom can exist in any of nine energy levels , which can be informally thought of as the placement of electron atomic orbitals around
264-460: A 0.01 nT to 0.02 nT standard deviation while sampling once per second. The optically pumped caesium vapour magnetometer is a highly sensitive (300 fT/Hz ) and accurate device used in a wide range of applications. It is one of a number of alkali vapours (including rubidium and potassium ) that are used in this way. The device broadly consists of a photon emitter, such as a laser, an absorption chamber containing caesium vapour mixed with
330-494: A Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and that will contain both locational information and a combination of various information. This tool is very helpful to archaeologists who want to explore in a different area and want to see if anyone else has done research. They can use this tool to see what has already been discovered. With this information available, archaeologists can expand their research and add more to what has already been found. Traditionally, sites are distinguished by
396-516: A configuration which cancels the dead-zones, which are a recurrent problem of atomic magnetometers. This configuration was demonstrated to show an accuracy of 50 pT in orbit operation. The ESA chose this technology for the Swarm mission , which was launched in 2013. An experimental vector mode, which could compete with fluxgate magnetometers was tested in this mission with overall success. The caesium and potassium magnetometers are typically used where
462-424: A conventional metal detector's range is rarely more than 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). In recent years, magnetometers have been miniaturized to the extent that they can be incorporated in integrated circuits at very low cost and are finding increasing use as miniaturized compasses ( MEMS magnetic field sensor ). Magnetic fields are vector quantities characterized by both strength and direction. The strength of
528-470: A fixed position and measurements are taken while the magnetometer is stationary. Portable or mobile magnetometers are meant to be used while in motion and may be manually carried or transported in a moving vehicle. Laboratory magnetometers are used to measure the magnetic field of materials placed within them and are typically stationary. Survey magnetometers are used to measure magnetic fields in geomagnetic surveys; they may be fixed base stations, as in
594-486: A given number of data points. Caesium and potassium magnetometers are insensitive to rotation of the sensor while the measurement is being made. The lower noise of caesium and potassium magnetometers allow those measurements to more accurately show the variations in the field with position. Vector magnetometers measure one or more components of the magnetic field electronically. Using three orthogonal magnetometers, both azimuth and dip (inclination) can be measured. By taking
660-421: A higher performance magnetometer than the proton magnetometer is needed. In archaeology and geophysics, where the sensor sweeps through an area and many accurate magnetic field measurements are often needed, caesium and potassium magnetometers have advantages over the proton magnetometer. The caesium and potassium magnetometer's faster measurement rate allows the sensor to be moved through the area more quickly for
726-582: A magnetic field is measured in units of tesla in the SI units , and in gauss in the cgs system of units. 10,000 gauss are equal to one tesla. Measurements of the Earth's magnetic field are often quoted in units of nanotesla (nT), also called a gamma. The Earth's magnetic field can vary from 20,000 to 80,000 nT depending on location, fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field are on the order of 100 nT, and magnetic field variations due to magnetic anomalies can be in
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#1732764667972792-459: A paper on measurement of the Earth's magnetic field. It described a new instrument that consisted of a permanent bar magnet suspended horizontally from a gold fibre. The difference in the oscillations when the bar was magnetised and when it was demagnetised allowed Gauss to calculate an absolute value for the strength of the Earth's magnetic field. The gauss , the CGS unit of magnetic flux density
858-413: A part of the archaeological record . Sites may range from those with few or no remains visible above ground, to buildings and other structures still in use. Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a "site" can vary widely, depending on the period studied and the theoretical approach of the archaeologist. It is almost invariably difficult to delimit a site. It is sometimes taken to indicate
924-450: A sample's magnetization. In this method a Faraday modulating thin film is applied to the sample to be measured and a series of images are taken with a camera that senses the polarization of the reflected light. To reduce noise, multiple pictures are then averaged together. One advantage to this method is that it allows mapping of the magnetic characteristics over the surface of a sample. This can be especially useful when studying such things as
990-683: A sequence of natural geological or organic deposition, in the absence of human activity, to constitute a site worthy of study. Archaeological sites usually form through human-related processes but can be subject to natural, post-depositional factors. Cultural remnants which have been buried by sediments are, in many environments, more likely to be preserved than exposed cultural remnants. Natural actions resulting in sediment being deposited include alluvial (water-related) or aeolian (wind-related) natural processes. In jungles and other areas of lush plant growth, decomposed vegetative sediment can result in layers of soil deposited over remains. Colluviation ,
1056-446: A settlement of some sort, although the archaeologist must also define the limits of human activity around the settlement. Any episode of deposition, such as a hoard or burial, can form a site as well. Development-led archaeology undertaken as cultural resources management has the disadvantage (or the benefit) of having its sites defined by the limits of the intended development. Even in this case, however, in describing and interpreting
1122-480: A sine wave in a rotating coil . The amplitude of the signal is proportional to the strength of the field, provided it is uniform, and to the sine of the angle between the rotation axis of the coil and the field lines. This type of magnetometer is obsolete. The most common magnetic sensing devices are solid-state Hall effect sensors. These sensors produce a voltage proportional to the applied magnetic field and also sense polarity. They are used in applications where
1188-464: A single, narrow electron spin resonance (ESR) line in contrast to other alkali vapour magnetometers that use irregular, composite and wide spectral lines and helium with the inherently wide spectral line. Magnetometers based on helium-4 excited to its metastable triplet state thanks to a plasma discharge have been developed in the 1960s and 70s by Texas Instruments , then by its spinoff Polatomic, and from late 1980s by CEA-Leti . The latter pioneered
1254-453: A site worthy of study. Different archaeologists may see an ancient town, and its nearby cemetery as being two different sites, or as being part of the same wider site. The precepts of landscape archaeology attempt to see each discrete unit of human activity in the context of the wider environment, further distorting the concept of the site as a demarcated area. Furthermore, geoarchaeologists or environmental archaeologists would also consider
1320-570: A solenoid, a low power radio-frequency field is used to align (polarise) the electron spin of the free radicals, which then couples to the protons via the Overhauser effect. This has two main advantages: driving the RF field takes a fraction of the energy (allowing lighter-weight batteries for portable units), and faster sampling as the electron-proton coupling can happen even as measurements are being taken. An Overhauser magnetometer produces readings with
1386-451: A system that is more sensitive than either one alone. Heat due to the sample vibration can limit the base temperature of a VSM, typically to 2 kelvin. VSM is also impractical for measuring a fragile sample that is sensitive to rapid acceleration. Pulsed-field extraction magnetometry is another method making use of pickup coils to measure magnetization. Unlike VSMs where the sample is physically vibrated, in pulsed-field extraction magnetometry,
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#17327646679721452-500: Is a branch of survey becoming more and more popular in archaeology, because it uses different types of instruments to investigate features below the ground surface. It is not as reliable because although they can see what is under the surface of the ground, it does not produce the best picture. Archaeologists still have to dig up the area in order to uncover the truth. There are also two most common types of geophysical survey, which is, magnetometer and ground penetrating radar. Magnetometry
1518-656: Is adequate for most mineral exploration work. For higher gradient tolerance, such as mapping banded iron formations and detecting large ferrous objects, Overhauser magnetometers can handle 10,000 nT/m, and caesium magnetometers can handle 30,000 nT/m. They are relatively inexpensive (< US$ 8,000) and were once widely used in mineral exploration. Three manufacturers dominate the market: GEM Systems, Geometrics and Scintrex. Popular models include G-856/857, Smartmag, GSM-18, and GSM-19T. For mineral exploration, they have been superseded by Overhauser, caesium, and potassium instruments, all of which are fast-cycling, and do not require
1584-442: Is approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) in height. The site is located on La 602 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of its junction with I-20 . Archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents
1650-547: Is first mentioned in E. G. Squier and E. H. Davis ' Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley in 1848. The largest mound at the site, at 30 feet (9.1 m) in height, was bulldozed and carted away to use as fill during the construction of Interstate 20 . Other of the mounds have been extensively plowed by local farmers and only two of the original seven mounds remain. Mound B is 10 feet (3.0 m) in height. Mound D serves as an active historic cemetery and
1716-427: Is that it requires some means of not only producing a magnetic field, but also producing a magnetic field gradient. While this can be accomplished by using a set of special pole faces, a much better result can be achieved by using set of gradient coils. A major advantage to Faraday force magnetometry is that it is small and reasonably tolerant to noise, and thus can be implemented in a wide range of environments, including
1782-629: Is the technique of measuring and mapping patterns of magnetism in the soil. It uses an instrument called a magnetometer, which is required to measure and map traces of soil magnetism. The ground penetrating radar is a method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. It uses electromagnetic radiation in the microwave band of the radio spectrum and detects the reflected signals from subsurface structures. There are many other tools that can be used to find artifacts, but along with finding artifacts, archaeologists have to make maps. They do so by taking data from surveys, or archival research and plugging it into
1848-446: Is to mount the sample on a cantilever and measure the displacement via capacitance measurement between the cantilever and nearby fixed object, or by measuring the piezoelectricity of the cantilever, or by optical interferometry off the surface of the cantilever. Faraday force magnetometry uses the fact that a spatial magnetic field gradient produces force that acts on a magnetized object, F = (M⋅∇)B. In Faraday force magnetometry
1914-450: Is typically scaled and displayed directly as field strength or output as digital data. For hand/backpack carried units, PPM sample rates are typically limited to less than one sample per second. Measurements are typically taken with the sensor held at fixed locations at approximately 10 metre increments. Portable instruments are also limited by sensor volume (weight) and power consumption. PPMs work in field gradients up to 3,000 nT/m, which
1980-650: Is very important to understand the magnetic properties of materials in physics, chemistry, geophysics and geology, as well as sometimes biology. SQUIDs are a type of magnetometer used both as survey and as laboratory magnetometers. SQUID magnetometry is an extremely sensitive absolute magnetometry technique. However SQUIDs are noise sensitive, making them impractical as laboratory magnetometers in high DC magnetic fields, and in pulsed magnets. Commercial SQUID magnetometers are available for sample temperatures between 300 mK and 400 K, and magnetic fields up to 7 tesla. Inductive pickup coils (also referred as inductive sensor) measure
2046-452: The Earth's magnetic field . Other magnetometers measure the magnetic dipole moment of a magnetic material such as a ferromagnet , for example by recording the effect of this magnetic dipole on the induced current in a coil. The first magnetometer capable of measuring the absolute magnetic intensity at a point in space was invented by Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1833 and notable developments in
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2112-469: The INTERMAGNET network, or mobile magnetometers used to scan a geographic region. The performance and capabilities of magnetometers are described through their technical specifications. Major specifications include The compass , consisting of a magnetized needle whose orientation changes in response to the ambient magnetic field, is a simple type of magnetometer, one that measures the direction of
2178-457: The Meissner effect on superconductors. Microfabricated optically pumped magnetometers (μOPMs) can be used to detect the origin of brain seizures more precisely and generate less heat than currently available superconducting quantum interference devices, better known as SQUIDs. The device works by using polarized light to control the spin of rubidium atoms which can be used to measure and monitor
2244-413: The atomic nucleus . When a caesium atom within the chamber encounters a photon from the laser, it is excited to a higher energy state, emits a photon and falls to an indeterminate lower energy state. The caesium atom is "sensitive" to the photons from the laser in three of its nine energy states, and therefore, assuming a closed system, all the atoms eventually fall into a state in which all the photons from
2310-419: The magneto-optic Kerr effect , or MOKE. In this technique, incident light is directed at the sample's surface. Light interacts with a magnetized surface nonlinearly so the reflected light has an elliptical polarization, which is then measured by a detector. Another method of optical magnetometry is Faraday rotation magnetometry . Faraday rotation magnetometry utilizes nonlinear magneto-optical rotation to measure
2376-467: The 19th century included the Hall effect , which is still widely used. Magnetometers are widely used for measuring the Earth's magnetic field, in geophysical surveys , to detect magnetic anomalies of various types, and to determine the dipole moment of magnetic materials. In an aircraft's attitude and heading reference system , they are commonly used as a heading reference. Magnetometers are also used by
2442-681: The 20th century. Laboratory magnetometers measure the magnetization , also known as the magnetic moment of a sample material. Unlike survey magnetometers, laboratory magnetometers require the sample to be placed inside the magnetometer, and often the temperature, magnetic field, and other parameters of the sample can be controlled. A sample's magnetization, is primarily dependent on the ordering of unpaired electrons within its atoms, with smaller contributions from nuclear magnetic moments , Larmor diamagnetism , among others. Ordering of magnetic moments are primarily classified as diamagnetic , paramagnetic , ferromagnetic , or antiferromagnetic (although
2508-583: The area, and if they have the money and time for the site, they can start digging. There are many ways to find sites, one example can be through surveys. Surveys involve walking around analyzing the land and looking for artifacts. It can also involve digging, according to the Archaeological Institute of America, "archaeologists actively search areas that were likely to support human populations, or in places where old documents and records indicate people once lived." This helps archaeologists in
2574-428: The burial of a site by sediments moved by gravity (called hillwash ) can also happen at sites on slopes. Human activities (both deliberate and incidental) also often bury sites. It is common in many cultures for newer structures to be built atop the remains of older ones. Urban archaeology has developed especially to deal with these sorts of site. Many sites are the subject of ongoing excavation or investigation. Note
2640-890: The components of the magnetic field in all three dimensions. They are also rated as "absolute" if the strength of the field can be calibrated from their own known internal constants or "relative" if they need to be calibrated by reference to a known field. A magnetograph is a magnetometer that continuously records data over time. This data is typically represented in magnetograms. Magnetometers can also be classified as "AC" if they measure fields that vary relatively rapidly in time (>100 Hz), and "DC" if they measure fields that vary only slowly (quasi-static) or are static. AC magnetometers find use in electromagnetic systems (such as magnetotellurics ), and DC magnetometers are used for detecting mineralisation and corresponding geological structures. Proton precession magnetometer s, also known as proton magnetometers , PPMs or simply mags, measure
2706-427: The difference between archaeological sites and archaeological discoveries. Magnetometer A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment . Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, one that measures the direction of an ambient magnetic field, in this case,
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2772-452: The dipole moment of a sample by mechanically vibrating the sample inside of an inductive pickup coil or inside of a SQUID coil. Induced current or changing flux in the coil is measured. The vibration is typically created by a motor or a piezoelectric actuator. Typically the VSM technique is about an order of magnitude less sensitive than SQUID magnetometry. VSMs can be combined with SQUIDs to create
2838-406: The electrons once again can absorb a photon of light. This causes a signal on a photo detector that measures the light passing through the cell. The associated electronics use this fact to create a signal exactly at the frequency that corresponds to the external field. Another type of caesium magnetometer modulates the light applied to the cell. This is referred to as a Bell-Bloom magnetometer, after
2904-447: The external applied field. Often a special arrangement of cancellation coils is used. For example, half of the pickup coil is wound in one direction, and the other half in the other direction, and the sample is placed in only one half. The external uniform magnetic field is detected by both halves of the coil, and since they are counter-wound, the external magnetic field produces no net signal. Vibrating-sample magnetometers (VSMs) detect
2970-547: The field vector and the horizontal surface). Absolute magnetometers measure the absolute magnitude or vector magnetic field, using an internal calibration or known physical constants of the magnetic sensor. Relative magnetometers measure magnitude or vector magnetic field relative to a fixed but uncalibrated baseline. Also called variometers , relative magnetometers are used to measure variations in magnetic field. Magnetometers may also be classified by their situation or intended use. Stationary magnetometers are installed to
3036-547: The field. The oscillation frequency of a magnetized needle is proportional to the square-root of the strength of the ambient magnetic field; so, for example, the oscillation frequency of the needle of a horizontally situated compass is proportional to the square-root of the horizontal intensity of the ambient field. In 1833, Carl Friedrich Gauss , head of the Geomagnetic Observatory in Göttingen, published
3102-413: The force on the sample can be measured by a scale (hanging the sample from a sensitive balance), or by detecting the displacement against a spring. Commonly a capacitive load cell or cantilever is used because of its sensitivity, size, and lack of mechanical parts. Faraday force magnetometry is approximately one order of magnitude less sensitive than a SQUID. The biggest drawback to Faraday force magnetometry
3168-420: The future. In case there is no time or money during the site's discovery, archaeologists can come back and visit the site for further digging to find out the extent of the site. Archaeologist can also sample randomly within a given area of land as another form of conducting surveys. Surveys are very useful, according to Jess Beck, "it can tell you where people were living at different points in the past." Geophysics
3234-452: The laser pass through unhindered and are measured by the photon detector. The caesium vapour has become transparent. This process happens continuously to maintain as many of the electrons as possible in that state. At this point, the sample (or population) is said to have been optically pumped and ready for measurement to take place. When an external field is applied it disrupts this state and causes atoms to move to different states which makes
3300-401: The magnetic dipole moment of a material by detecting the current induced in a coil due to the changing magnetic moment of the sample. The sample's magnetization can be changed by applying a small ac magnetic field (or a rapidly changing dc field), as occurs in capacitor-driven pulsed magnets. These measurements require differentiating between the magnetic field produced by the sample and that from
3366-437: The magnetic field. Survey magnetometers can be divided into two basic types: A vector is a mathematical entity with both magnitude and direction. The Earth's magnetic field at a given point is a vector. A magnetic compass is designed to give a horizontal bearing direction, whereas a vector magnetometer measures both the magnitude and direction of the total magnetic field. Three orthogonal sensors are required to measure
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#17327646679723432-641: The military as a triggering mechanism in magnetic mines to detect submarines. Consequently, some countries, such as the United States, Canada and Australia, classify the more sensitive magnetometers as military technology, and control their distribution. Magnetometers can be used as metal detectors : they can detect only magnetic ( ferrous ) metals, but can detect such metals at a much greater distance than conventional metal detectors, which rely on conductivity. Magnetometers are capable of detecting large objects, such as cars, at over 10 metres (33 ft), while
3498-410: The operator to pause between readings. The Overhauser effect magnetometer or Overhauser magnetometer uses the same fundamental effect as the proton precession magnetometer to take measurements. By adding free radicals to the measurement fluid, the nuclear Overhauser effect can be exploited to significantly improve upon the proton precession magnetometer. Rather than aligning the protons using
3564-400: The picotesla (pT) range. Gaussmeters and teslameters are magnetometers that measure in units of gauss or tesla, respectively. In some contexts, magnetometer is the term used for an instrument that measures fields of less than 1 millitesla (mT) and gaussmeter is used for those measuring greater than 1 mT. There are two basic types of magnetometer measurement. Vector magnetometers measure
3630-471: The presence of both artifacts and features . Common features include the remains of hearths and houses. Ecofacts , biological materials (such as bones, scales, and even feces) that are the result of human activity but are not deliberately modified, are also common at many archaeological sites. In the cases of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras, a mere scatter of flint flakes will also constitute
3696-515: The previously mentioned methods do. Magnetic torque magnetometry instead measures the torque τ acting on a sample's magnetic moment μ as a result of a uniform magnetic field B, τ = μ × B. A torque is thus a measure of the sample's magnetic or shape anisotropy. In some cases the sample's magnetization can be extracted from the measured torque. In other cases, the magnetic torque measurement is used to detect magnetic phase transitions or quantum oscillations . The most common way to measure magnetic torque
3762-412: The protons to align themselves with that field. The current is then interrupted, and as protons realign themselves with the ambient magnetic field, they precess at a frequency that is directly proportional to the magnetic field. This produces a weak rotating magnetic field that is picked up by a (sometimes separate) inductor, amplified electronically, and fed to a digital frequency counter whose output
3828-500: The resonance frequency of protons (hydrogen nuclei) in the magnetic field to be measured, due to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Because the precession frequency depends only on atomic constants and the strength of the ambient magnetic field, the accuracy of this type of magnetometer can reach 1 ppm . A direct current flowing in a solenoid creates a strong magnetic field around a hydrogen -rich fluid ( kerosene and decane are popular, and even water can be used), causing some of
3894-534: The sample is secured and the external magnetic field is changed rapidly, for example in a capacitor-driven magnet. One of multiple techniques must then be used to cancel out the external field from the field produced by the sample. These include counterwound coils that cancel the external uniform field and background measurements with the sample removed from the coil. Magnetic torque magnetometry can be even more sensitive than SQUID magnetometry. However, magnetic torque magnetometry doesn't measure magnetism directly as all
3960-729: The site, the archaeologist will have to look outside the boundaries of the building site. According to Jess Beck in "How Do Archaeologists Find Sites?" the areas with numerous artifacts are good targets for future excavation, while areas with a small number of artifacts are thought to reflect a lack of past human activity. Many areas have been discovered by accident. The most common people who have found artifacts are farmers who are plowing their fields or just cleaning them up, and they often find archaeological artifacts. Many people who are out hiking and even pilots find artifacts, and they usually end up reporting them to archaeologists for further investigation. When they find sites, they have to first record
4026-551: The square root of the sum of the squares of the components the total magnetic field strength (also called total magnetic intensity, TMI) can be calculated by the Pythagorean theorem . Vector magnetometers are subject to temperature drift and the dimensional instability of the ferrite cores. They also require leveling to obtain component information, unlike total field (scalar) instruments. For these reasons they are no longer used for mineral exploration. The magnetic field induces
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#17327646679724092-452: The two scientists who first investigated the effect. If the light is turned on and off at the frequency corresponding to the Earth's field, there is a change in the signal seen at the photo detector. Again, the associated electronics use this to create a signal exactly at the frequency that corresponds to the external field. Both methods lead to high performance magnetometers. Potassium is the only optically pumped magnetometer that operates on
4158-445: The vapour less transparent. The photo detector can measure this change and therefore measure the magnitude of the magnetic field. In the most common type of caesium magnetometer, a very small AC magnetic field is applied to the cell. Since the difference in the energy levels of the electrons is determined by the external magnetic field, there is a frequency at which this small AC field makes the electrons change states. In this new state,
4224-416: The vector components of a magnetic field. Total field magnetometers or scalar magnetometers measure the magnitude of the vector magnetic field. Magnetometers used to study the Earth's magnetic field may express the vector components of the field in terms of declination (the angle between the horizontal component of the field vector and true, or geographic, north) and the inclination (the angle between
4290-412: The zoology of magnetic ordering also includes ferrimagnetic , helimagnetic , toroidal , spin glass , etc.). Measuring the magnetization as a function of temperature and magnetic field can give clues as to the type of magnetic ordering, as well as any phase transitions between different types of magnetic orders that occur at critical temperatures or magnetic fields. This type of magnetometry measurement
4356-435: Was named in his honour, defined as one maxwell per square centimeter; it equals 1×10 tesla (the SI unit ). Francis Ronalds and Charles Brooke independently invented magnetographs in 1846 that continuously recorded the magnet's movements using photography , thus easing the load on observers. They were quickly utilised by Edward Sabine and others in a global magnetic survey and updated machines were in use well into
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