NB: This manuscript has been submitted to Earth Science Reviews on May 10th 2021, and has not undergone peer review yet. A Persistent Non-uniformitarian Paleomagnetic Field in the Devonian? Annique van der Boon1,*, Andrew J. Biggin1, Daniele Thallner1, Mark W. Hounslow1,2, Richard Bono1, Jerzy Nawrocki3, Kristyan Wójcik4, Mariusz Paszkowski4, Peter Königshof5, Tim de Backer6, Pavel Kabanov7, Sofie Gouwy7, Richard VandenBerg7 1Geomagnetic Laboratory, Oliver Lodge Building, Department of Physics, Oxford Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZE, United Kingdom, *
[email protected] 2Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, 3Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Al. Kraśnicka 2cd, 20-718 Lublin, Poland 4Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute, Rakowiecka 4, 00-975 Warszawa, Poland, 5Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany, 6Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium, 7Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary, AB T2L 2A7, Canada Abstract The Devonian, like much of the Paleozoic, has long been a problematic period for paleomagnetism. Devonian paleomagnetic data are generally difficult to interpret and have complex partial or full overprints; problems that arise in data obtained from both sedimentary and igneous rocks. As a result, the reconstruction of tectonic plate motions, performed largely using apparent polar wander paths, has large uncertainty. Similarly, the Devonian geomagnetic polarity time scale is very poorly constrained. Paleointensity studies suggest that the field was much weaker than the modern field, and it has been hypothesised that this was accompanied by many polarity reversals (a hyperreversing field). We sampled middle to upper Devonian sections in Germany, Poland and Canada which show low conodont alteration indices, implying low thermal maturity.