The recovery of paleomagnetic polarities from cyclothemic sediments in the carboniferous Appalachian Basin, USA

Abstract

Using a cryogenic magnetometer, reliable paleomagnetic polarities may be recovered for a wide variety of lithofacies present in Carboniferous cyclothemic sediments from the Appalachian Basin. The most reliable recorders are shales and limestones whose clastic fractions are dominated by silt and fine sand‐sized terrigenous grains. Coarse sandstones and limestones whose clastics are dominated by clays are poor recorders, while fine‐grained sandstones will generally yield polarities but not good pole positions. A comprehensive magneto‐stratigraphy for the Carboniferous should be obtainable.