A paleomagnetic record from Pyramid Lake, Nevada, and its implications for proposed geomagnetic excursions

Abstract

A well-dated, 3.3-m section of deep-lake clays from pluvial Lake Lahontan, now exposed along the shore of Pyramid Lake, Nevada, has provided a paleomagnetic record of secular variation during the time interval 25,000–36,000 years B.P. The measured ranges of inclination and declination are 40° and 75°, respectively, and represent values which are comparable to observed secular variation at northern mid-latitudes. These results and those from a previously reported study from Clear Lake, California, together provide strong evidence for the conclusion that northern California and western Nevada were not affected by any geomagnetic excursion during the time interval 21,000–36,000 years B.P. Such a conclusion puts severe constraints on the nature and timing of the proposed Mono Lake, Laschamp and Lake Mungo geomagnetic excursions.