Palaeomagnetism and K-Ar dating of Cretaceous basalts from Mongolia

Abstract

We report a combined geochronology and palaeomagnetic study of Cretaceous igneous rocks from Shovon (44.4°N, 103.8°E) and Arts-Bogd (44.3°N, 102.2°E) localities in the Gobi Desert, south Mongolia. K—Ar dating based on seven rock samples, with two independent measurements for each sample, allows us to propose an age of 94.7 ± 1.3 Ma for Shovon locality and a 98.2 ± 1.4 to 118.3 ± 1.7 Ma age range for Arts-Bogd. Stepwise thermal and AF demagnetization generally isolated a high temperature component (HTC) of magnetization for both Shovon and Arts-Bogds basalts, eventually following a low temperature component (LTC) in some samples. The HTC directions display normal polarity, consistent with the Cretaceous Long Normal Superchron. Rock magnetic analysis identifies fine-grained pseudo-single domain (PSD) magnetite and titanomagnetite as primary carriers of the remanence. Mean HTC palaeomagnetic direction is Dm = 8.2°, Im = 63.7° (n = 18 flows, k = 41.1, α95 = 5.5°) for Shovon and Dm = 12.1°, Im = 66.4° (n = 27 flows, k = 53.0, α95 = 3.9°) for Arts-Bogd. Because of their similar ages, we combine data from Shovon and data previously obtained from Khurmen Uul (92.0 ± 4.0 Ma), recomputed in geographic coordinates, and not in tilt-corrected ones as in our previous interpretation, at the Shovon locality. The combined final average palaeomagnetic direction for Shovon-Khurmen Uul is Dm = 7.4°, Im = 62.7° (n = 23 flows, k = 41.4, α95 = 4.8°). The corresponding palaeopoles computed from these HTC lie at λ = 84.7°N, φ = 195.0°E, dp/dm = 5.8/7.5 for Shovon-Khurmen Uul (average age: 93.4 ± 2.6 Ma) and λ = 80.5°N, φ = 159.0°E, dp/dm = 5.2/6.3 for Arts-Bogd (average age: 104.6 ± 6.6 Ma). These poles are consistent with those from the European apparent polar wander path (APWP) at 90, 100 and 110 Ma, and other published pole from the Mongol-Okhotsk suture zone, Amuria and North China blocks. This confirms the lack of a discernable latitudinal motion between Amuria and Siberia since their final accretion by the Late Jurassic—Early Cretaceous, and reinforces the idea that Europe APWP can be used as a reference for Siberia by the mid-Cretaceous. We finally propose a mid-Cretaceous mean palaeomagnetic pole for the Siberia-Amuria-North China Block assemblage which lies at: λ = 86.4°N, φ = 191.1°E(n = 10, k = 74.9, A95 = 5.8°).