The use of simultaneous R- and Q-mode factor analysis as a tool for assisting interpretation of mineral magnetic data

Abstract

The paper demonstrates both the potential and possible limitations of the use of simultaneous R-and Q-mode factor analysis for the detection of multivariate patterns in mineral magnetic data sets. Two examples are presented: correlation of Quaternary age glacial sediments from the Isle of Man within the Irish Sea Basin, and secondly, sediment-source linkages in recent lake sediments from Bar Mere, Cheshire, England. In both examples, the factor analysis offers useful insights into the environmental processes involved. Also, it seems to offer a suitable method by which qualitative interpretations of mineral magnetic data can be underpinned by a more objective approach. Plots of both variable and sample factor loadings provide a simple visual impression of the underlying multivariate trends in the data set. Given the simplicity with which the factor approach used here can be performed, it appears that it could become routine practice for the analysis of suitable mineral magnetic data sets.