Full-vector paleomagnetic record for the Mid-Holocene from Central European lake sediments at Toporowy Staw Wyżni, southern Poland

Lacustrine sediments provide valuable paleomagnetic information for understanding past geomagnetic field changes, but the scarcity of records from Central Europe has hindered the investigation of regional non-dipolar field behavior during the Holocene. This study presents a full-vector sedimentary paleomagnetic record for the Mid-Holocene from a Central European location. Two sediment cores (50 cm-long each) were collected from Lake Toporowy Staw Wyżni (WTS) in the Polish sector of the Tatra Mountains to investigate paleosecular variation. The cores represent the basal part of the lacustrine sedimentary record. Radiocarbon dating revealed that the studied sediment spans a time period of ∼6000–4000 cal BP. Rock magnetic analyses identified single-domain magnetite of both biogenic and detrital origin as the magnetic carrier of the lake sediment. Small variations in magnetic parameters and narrow grain size distribution of magnetite throughout the sedimentary section indicate stable recording conditions and the reliability of both paleomagnetic directions and relative paleointensity. Paleoecological analyses further support that Mid-Holocene lake environment remained sufficiently oxic and depositionally uniform to preserve the primary magnetic mineral assemblage and, consequently, the paleomagnetic signal. The age-calibrated full-vector paleomagnetic record reveals coherent swings: a broad intensity maximum between ∼4800 and ∼4500 cal BP and inclination minimum between ∼5400 and ∼5200 cal BP, in good agreement with the behavior predicted by global geomagnetic field models, and regional stacks and curves. In particular, the agreement in the timing of these main features supports the geomagnetic significance of the WTS record and indicates that the site captures the large-scale Mid-Holocene field evolution. At the same time, the WTS record exhibits shorter-wavelength and higher-amplitude regional field behavior, particularly in relative declination, than any of the model predictions. This highlights that Mid-Holocene non-dipolar geomagnetic variability over Central Europe is under-resolved in current reconstructions and underscores the need for additional high-resolution records from this region. Our new record thus provides a key constraint for refining Holocene geomagnetic field models and forms a basis for a future Central European paleosecular variation master curve, while also offering a promising dating tool for Mid-Holocene sediments and archaeological materials in nearby areas.