Variability of the 0–3 Ma palaeomagnetic field observed from the Boring Volcanic Field of the Pacific Northwest

Abstract

The Boring Volcanic Field of the Pacific Northwest (USA), composed of more than 80 eruptive units ranging in age from 3200 to 60 ka, offers a unique possibility to investigate the variability of the Quaternary to late Neogene palaeomagnetic field. To complement previous work on palaeodirections, we conducted 240 absolute palaeointensity (API) experiments with the joint use of the continuous (Wilson) and stepwise (Thellier-Coe) double-heating protocol, along with 620 relative palaeointensity (RPI) experiments based on the pseudo-Thellier approach. We successfully determined absolute estimates for 12 independent eruptive units, as well as relative estimates for 47 out of 132 investigated sites. We compare these results with the existing database for the last 3 Myr and obtain an estimate of the relative variability in palaeointensity on the order of 40-45 per cent as a proxy for palaeosecular variation. API and RPI data suggest a possible asymmetry between normal and reverse polarities.