How well do Precambrian paleomagnetic data agree with the Phanerozoic apparent polar wander path? A Baltica case study

Abstract

Precambrian paleomagnetic data are crucial for various tectonic and geophysical applications, the reconstructions of fusion and fission of supercontinents in particular. Due to many objective reasons, the variety of stability tests for these data are abridged in comparison to Phanerozoic results and is further hindered by the rather common refusal to consider the resemblance between Precambrian and younger poles. In this paper, we selected Precambrian paleomagnetic data with ages of <1.9Ga from Fennoscandia, Ukraine and the Uralian margin of Baltica and compared them with Phanerozoic apparent polar wander path for this craton. Our most general finding is that there is a remarkable agreement between Precambrian data and younger segments of the Baltica APWP. We argue that this agreement is more than mere coincidence and may indicate that the remanence in the Precambrian rocks is not primary.