Paleomagnetic data from Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks of West Liaoning: Evidence for intracontinental rotation

Abstract

Detailed rock magnetic studies of 55 lavas from Yixian and Fuxin area, West Liaoning, show the primary carriers of remanence to be pseudo-single domain titanomagnetite. K/Ar dating indicates that the volcanic sequence spans 93 to 133 Ma. Stepwise thermal demagnetization successfully isolated well-defined characteristic magnetization (ChRM) in all lavas thermal-treated above 250°C. The mean paleodirections are D/I=5.9ℴ/58.8ℴ (α95 = 2.9ℴ) and D/I =179.2ℴ/−59.9ℴ (α95 = 5.2ℴ) for 27 normally magnetized flows and 28 reversibly magnetized flows, respectively. It indicates that since the Early Cretaceous there is no significant horizontal movement and rotation between the Yixian-Fuxin area and Eurasia. However, Korea Peninsula may have undergone a clockwise rotation of 33.9ℴ relative to the Yixian-Fuxin area during the Cretaceous. On the basis of characteristics of hotspot origins (core-mantle boundary or upper mantle), the clockwise rotation of Korea Peninsula relative to Eurasia is assumed to be mainly caused by an extensional force in the crust of eastern China, which was corresponding to intensive surface volcanic activities in this area.