Magnetic studies of basalt fragments recovered by deep drilling in Iceland, and the “magnetic layer” concept

Abstract

The magnetic susceptibility of 1300 samples of igneous rock drill cuttings obtained from eight deep drill holes in Iceland has been measured, in order to directly provide limits on the thickness of the layer which is the source of the magnetic anomalies over Iceland. The remanent magnetism of some of the material has also been studied, and the variation of magnetic susceptibility in 740 lava flows from eastern Iceland has been analysed as a function of depth of burial. All the results indicate no systematic change of susceptibility with depth up to 2.0 km. The Curie point of all deeply buried basalts in Iceland appears to be close to that of magnetite, so that the magnetic layer may be 5 km or more in thickness when susceptibility contrasts are considered; lateral contrasts in primary remanence may reach to 3 km depth. Derivation of a magnetic layer thickness in Iceland from analyses of magnetic anomalies, using methods which have been conventionally applied to marine magnetic anomalies could, on the other hand, yield much lower apparent thickness values (less than 1 km). We therefore argue that estimates of the magnetic layer thickness in oceanic regions should be based on considerations of magnetite Curie point isotherm behaviour, rather than on anomaly analysis.