About GPMDB
The Global Paleomagnetic Database (GPMDB) contains published paleomagnetic poles and directions from rocks around the world. Paleomagnetism is the study of the record of Earth's magnetic field in rocks, sediments, and archaeological materials.
This database serves as a crucial resource for researchers studying:
- Plate-tectonic reconstructions and apparent polar wander paths (APWPs)
- Supercontinent cycles
- Paleolatitude and paleogeography of continents and accreted terranes
- Vertical-axis tectonic rotations and terrane analysis
- True polar wander and absolute plate-motion reference frames
- Behaviour of the geomagnetic field — polarity reversals, superchrons and paleointensity
- Evolution of the geodynamo and core–mantle dynamics
- Magnetostratigraphy — dating and correlation of rock sequences
History
- 1991 - Original GPMDB created by Mike McElhinny and Jo Lock
- 2000s - Database maintenance continued under Sergei Pisarevsky
- 2015 - GPMDB becomes part of IGCP 648: Supercontinent Cycles & Global Geodynamics
- 2022 - First web-based version launched
- 2026 - Complete redesign with modern web technologies
Team
Zheng-Xiang Li
Project Lead
Sergei Pisarevsky
Database Manager
Yebo Liu
Development Lead
Contributors
- Josh Beardmore
- Michael Chin
- Michael Durkan
- Uwe Kirscher
- Kinga Loday
- Liam Sutton
- Michael Tetley
How to Cite
If you use data from GPMDB in your research, please cite:
Pisarevsky, S.A., Li, Z.X., Tetley, M.G., Liu, Y., and Beardmore, J., 2022. An updated internet-based Global Paleomagnetic Database. Earth Science Reviews, 235, 104258.