Hierarchical versus stratification statistical analysis of archaeomagnetic directions: The secular variation curve for Hungary

Abstract

Extended by 26 new data, the present archaeomagnetic data set for Hungary consists of 185 couples of inclination and declination distributed between BC 350 and AD 1800. We analysed these data by separately using a stratification and a hierarchical statistical method for unravelling the directional secular variation of the 'local' geomagnetic field. For the calculations we applied weighted summation and the moving window technique. In order to have a reasonably quantity of data in every window we selected 100 yr windows with 75 per cent overlaps between consecutive windows. Our calculations ended up with two, almost identical models of secular variation, despite of the widely different weightings that are required in the two approaches. Nevertheless, of the two solutions the one produced by the hierarchical modelling is preferred because the correct statistics in archaeomagnetism are of a hierarchical type. © 2006 The Authors Journal compilation © 2006 RAS.