Paleomagnetism of Upper Vendian sediments from the Winter Coast, White Sea region, Russia: Implications for the paleogeography of Baltica during Neoproterozoic times

Abstract

Paleomagnetic results from an Upper Vendian sedimentary sequence exposed along the White Sea shoreline, NW Russia are described. These classical exposures have been the subject of intense paleontological investigations due to their well‐preserved Ediacara fauna, but no paleomagnetic results have as yet been published. A total of 337 hand samples and 210 oriented drill cores (35 sites) along three profiles have been collected at the locality (65.5°, 40.0°E) where a 555 ± 3 Ma U–Pb age of comagmatic zircons from volcanic ash layers has been recently obtained. Standard paleomagnetic procedures yield two main natural remanent magnetization (NRM) components: an intermediate‐temperature (150°–350°C), single‐polarity component (D = 121°, I = 72°, n = 232 samples, k = 46.0, α95 = 1.3°, pole position at 40.0°N, 79.0°E, dp = 2.0°, dm = 2.3°) and a high‐temperature (550°–680°C) dual‐polarity component (normal polarity: D = 278°, I = 43°, n = 54 samples, k = 25.2, α95 = 3.9°, reversed polarity: D = 101°, I = −39° n = 40, K = 23.3, α95 = 4.8°, south pole position at 24°S, 132°E, dp = 2.3°, dm = 3.8°). This latter component, termed Z, passes reversal, stratigraphic, and consistency tests and is interpreted to reflect the direction of the Earth's magnetic field during Late Vendian times. These results put Baltica into low northern latitudes (between 10° and 35°) and the resulting pole position requires modification of the most recent Apparent Polar Wander Paths (APWP) for Baltica.