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Azimuth measurements on Dutch passage mounds

On July 19 and 20, 1996 and March 23, 24 and 25, 1997, Victor Reijs and Joke Jansman have conducted azimuth measurements on most of the passage mounds (in Dutch: hunebedden) in The Netherlands. These measurements have been done with a Suunto KB-20 compass.
The difference between magnetic north and true north is on average some -0o 52'. In the below table a more location dependent difference has been used.

The measurements are taken from the main direction of the passage mounds, which means: take the points half of the width of the eastern and western ends of the chamber and determine the line between these two. Measure from both sides the azimuth and calculate the average of the two.
The error (one sigma) is in the order of 1o, and thus the azimuth was rounded to the nearest 5'.

The difference between azimuth direction of the north and the south wall is between 1.5o to -8o (Giffen [1927], page 145). It has been tried to related this to successive moonrises, but this gives azimuth difference of max. 15° at any lunar phase. So there seems to be no relation.

In the below table measurements taken by Reijs, V.M.M., Bom, F., Giffen, A.E. and González-García, A. Costa-Ferrer, L. are compared. The numbering scheme is by E.A. van Giffen.
Measurements taken at Dutch passage mounds

Place Municipal Lat. Long. Azi o Azi o
Azi o
Azi °
Mound # and/or name
o o Reijs, V.M.M. Bom, F. Giffen, A.E. van González-García Costa-Ferrer
D1 Steenbergen Roden 53o6' 6o25' 262o30' 269 262 259
D2 Westervelde Norg 53o4' 6o27' 264 265 262o30' 264
D3 Midlaren Zuidlaren 53o7' 6o40' 278 272 273°30' 279
D4 Midlaren Zuidlaren 53o7' 6o40' 271 268 268°30' 270
D5 Zeijen Vries 54o3' 6o32' 288 289 289 286
D6 Tynaarlo Vries 53o5' 6o38' 304 300 309°30' 301
D7 Schipborg Anloo 53o4' 6o41' 264o30' 267 263o30' 261
D8 Kniphorst Anloo 53o4' 6o42' 253 252 251°30' 253
D9 Noordloo Anloo 53o4' 6o43' 272 272 272°30' 265
D10 Gasteren Anloo 53o2' 6o39' 284 280 281 284
D11 Anloo Anloo 53o1' 6o42' 295o45' 293 293 292
D12 Eexteresch Anloo 53o1' 6o43' 325o15' 335 335°30' 326
D13 Eext Anloo 53o1' 6o44' 250o45' 245 244°30' 249
D14 Gieten Anloo 53o2' 6o43' 279o45' 276 276°30' 279
D15 Loon Assen 53o1' 6o37' 293o45' 291 290°30' 292
D16 Balloo Rolde 53o0' 6o37' 266o45' 267 263°30' 262
D17 Rolde Rolde 52o59' 6o39' 265o45' 266 262°30' 267+
D18 Rolde Rolde 52o59' 6o39' 287o45' 285 285°30' 288+
D19 Drouwen Borger 52o57' 6o47' 299o15' 297 296°30' 299
D20 Drouwen Borger 52o57' 6o47' 277o15' 276 275°30' 276
D21 De tweeling van de Bronneger Borger 52o57' 6o48' 220o45' 219 218°30' 226
D22 De tweeling van de Bronneger Borger 52o57' 6o48' * 247 246°30' 253°30'
D23 De drieling van de Bronneger Borger 52o57' 6o48' 252o45' 257 256°30' 275°30'+
D24 De drieling van de Bronneger Borger 52o57' 6o48' * 248 247°30' 269°30'+
D25 De drieling van de Bronneger Borger 52o57' 6o48' 274o45' 270 271 252°30'+
D26 Drouwenerveld Borger 52o57' 6o46' 247o45' 246 246 246
D27 Het grote van Borger Borger 52o56' 6o48' 288o15' 284 284 289°30'
D28 Buinen Borger 52o56' 6o49' 282o15' 283 279°30' 279
D29 Buinen Borger 52o56' 6o49' 255o15' 256 253 251
D30 Exloo-noord Odoorn 52o54' 6o51' 348o55' 347 347 350°30'
D31 Exloo-zuid Odoorn 52o52' 6o52' ** 288 ~290°30' 299
D32 Odoorn Odoorn 52o52' 6o50' 251o25' 250 249 248
D34 Valtherveld Odoorn 52o50' 6o52' 320o25' 318 317°30' 318°30'
D35 Valtherbos Odoorn 52o50' 6o52' 273o25' 270 271 269°30'
D36 Valthe Odoorn 52o50' 6o54' 288o55' 283 282°30' 284°30'
D37 Valthe Odoorn 52o50' 6o54' 285o25' 280 280 279
D38 Emmerveld Emmen 52o49' 6o53' 227o15' 224 223°30' 224
D39 Emmerveld Emmen 52o49' 6o53' 204o45' 205 205 205
D40 Emmerveld Emmen 52o49' 6o53' 174o15' 193*** 340°30' 343°30'
D41 Emmer-noord Emmen 52o48' 6o53' 258o15' 252 252 252°30'
D42 Westenesch-noord Emmen 52o48' 6o52' 311o15' 305 306°30' 309°30'
D43 Schimmeresch Emmen 52o47' 6o52' 199o15' 195 195 197°30'
D44 Westenesch Emmen 52o47' 6o52' * 213 * *
D45 Emmerdennen Emmen 52o48' 6o55' 262o45' 258 257°30' 254°30'
D46 Angelsloo Emmen 52o47' 6o56' ** 276 275°30' 276
D47 Angelsloo Emmen 52o47' 6o56' 342o15' 359 338°30' 339°30'
D48 Steen van Noord-Barge Emmen 52o46' 6o52' * * * *
D49 Schoonoord/De papeloze kerk Sleen 52o49' 6o45' 302o15' 299 298°30' 297
D50 Noord-Sleen Sleen 52o47' 6o48' 271o15' 269 268 267°30'
D51 Noord-Sleen Sleen 52o47' 6o48' 246o45' 254 254 252°30'
D52 Diever Diever 52o52' 6o20' 238o55' 241 240°30' 235
D53 Havelte Havelte 52o48' 6o13' ** 253 253 254
D54 Havelte Havelte 52o48' 6o13' ** 290 289°30' 292
G1 Noordlaren Haren 53o7' 6o40' 303 299 298°30' 300
Remarks:

There seems to be a systematic difference between the measurements of Reijs and Bom. On average the Reijs measurements are 1o higher than the Bom measurements. Many times the Bom measurements are very close to the van Giffen measurments (within +/- 30').
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