Alternating Field Demagnetization Research Articles

Extending and refining the paleomagnetic secular variation database for south-eastern Africa (Madagascar) to 2500 cal BP

Today's knowledge about paleomagnetic secular variations in (southern) Africa is extremely limited. Here, we derive paleomagnetic records from independently radiocarbon dated sediment records from three maars in Madagascar: Andraikiba and Amparihibe are terrestrial maars located on the main island of Madagascar and on a small island in the Northwest, whereas Crater Lake is a maar which has an open connection to the Indian Ocean. Studied through alternating field demagnetization of u-channel samples, characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) directions document similar inclination and declination patterns in two of the archives for the past 2,500 years (except for the last 400 cal BP). These new data are the first allowing to test the reliability of previous records which often suffer from low resolution and other obstacles. This will further allow to start to distinguish between robustly confirmed paleomagnetic secular variation data for this region from potentially problematic data.Considering a much lower resolution and a shorter covered time interval of archaeomagnetic data from La Réunion, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe the temporal successions of maxima and minima reveal a coherent picture. Although slightly shifted in time, similarities also exist to the global geomagnetic field reconstruction model SHAWQ2k (Campuzano et al., 2019) which includes the above mentioned data. Surprisingly also similarities, though only in declination, are observed to the CALS3K.4 model (Korte and Constable, 2011) which is used as Northern Hemisphere biased model example. In contrast to this, no declination similarities but remarkable inclination similarities are observed to a lake record from Lake Malawi. An analog inclination pattern is also observed in a record from the Makran Accretionary Wedge which is ∼5,000 km to the north of the investigated sites. Interestingly the spatial distribution of archives showing these inclination similarities resembles the spatial distribution of inclination anomalies detected in model predictions. PSV similarities over such a large area are suggestive of a large-scale core dynamic origin independent of westward drift of non-dipole field components often associated with PSV records. This study emphasizes the potential of maar lakes in Madagascar for paleo reconstructions but also suggests that shallow marine and marine-brackish systems should be avoided if possible when trying to expand the (South) African paleomagnetic database.

Millennial-Scale Environmental Variability in Late Quaternary Deep-Sea Sediments from the Demerara Rise, NE Coast of South America

We carried out a rock magnetic study of two deep-sea gravity cores from the Demerara Rise, NE South America. Our previous studies provided radiocarbon and paleomagnetic chronologies for these cores. This study presents detailed rock magnetic measurements on these cores in order to characterize the rock magnetic mineralogy and grain size as indicators of the overall clastic fraction. We measured the magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic remanence, and isothermal remanence and demagnetized the remanences at several alternating field demagnetization levels. The magnetic intensities estimate the magnetic material concentration (and indirectly the overall clastic fraction) in the cores. Ratios of rock magnetic parameters indicate the relative grain size of the magnetic material (and indirectly the overall clastic grain size). Rock magnetic intensity parameters and rock magnetic ratios both vary systematically and synchronously over the last 30,000 years in both cores. There is a multi-millennial-scale cyclicity, with intervals of high magnetic intensity (high magnetic and clastic content) with low magnetic ratios (coarser magnetic and clastic grain size), alternating in sequence with intervals of low magnetic intensity with high magnetic ratios (finer grain size). There is also a higher-frequency millennial-scale variability in intensity superposed on the multi-millennial-scale variability. There are nine (A–I) multi-millennial-scale intervals in the cores. Intervals A, C, E, G, and I have high magnetic and clastic content with coarser overall magnetic and clastic grain size and are likely intervals of enhanced rainfall and runoff from the NE South American margin to the coastal ocean. In contrast, intervals B, D, F, and H have lower clastic flux with finer overall grain size, probably indicating lower continental rainfall and runoff. During the Holocene, high rainfall and runoff intervals can be related to cooler times and low rainfall and runoff to warmer times. The opposite pattern existed during the Pleistocene, with higher rainfall and runoff during interstadial conditions and lower rainfall and runoff during stadial conditions. We noted a similar pattern of Pleistocene multi-millennial-scale variability in a transect of deep-sea sediment cores along the NE Brazilian margin, from the Cariaco Basin (~10 N) to the NE Brazilian margin (~1° N–4° S). However the NW part of this transect (Cariaco Basin, Demerara Rise, Amazon Fan) has an out-of-phase relationship with the SE part of the transect (NE Brazilian margin) between warm–cold and wet–dry conditions. One possible cause of the high–low rainfall and runoff patterns might be oscillation of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), with higher rainfall and runoff associated with a more southerly average position of the ITCZ and lower rainfall and runoff associated with a more northerly average position of the ITCZ.

Mapping and Modeling Sources of Natural Remanent Magnetization in the Microcline–Sillimanite Gneiss, Northwest Adirondack Mountains: Implications for Crustal Magnetism

AbstractDistinct crustal remanent magnetic anomalies are a strong indicator of rocks with stable natural remanent magnetization (NRM) carriers. The latter are able to store information on the history of a rock over long geological periods, and can therefore be used for a variety of applications in the field of paleomagnetism and rock magnetism. Typically, paleomagnetic and rock‐magnetic studies rely on rocks bulk magnetic properties. With the advent of high‐resolution magnetometric scanning techniques, it is now possible to map magnetic sources at the mineral scale, identify the different magnetic carriers, and analyze the effect of geometry, microstructures, and composition on their magnetic response. We investigate the stability of discrete remanent magnetization sources of a microcline–sillimanite gneiss sample from Russell Belt with a strong NRM, by scanning the sample before, and after alternating field demagnetization to 100 mT. We quantified changes in the magnetization intensity and direction by inverting the magnetic scan data. Here, we confirm that the exsolved titanohematite with ilmenite lamellae is the major source of magnetization, and the coexisting multidomain hematite grains contribute little to the NRM, or the magnetic anomalies. The microstructures in the titanohematite control local magnetic properties at the mineral scale. Magnetic modeling results suggest a consistent average magnetization direction before and after demagnetization at both the grain and thin section scale, with a decrease in the magnetization intensity of ≈30%. Results are consistent with previous bulk magnetic measurements and the likelihood to use high‐resolution magnetometric techniques in future magnetic studies is high.

First archeomagnetic data from Kenya and Chad: Analysis of iron furnaces from Mount Kenya and Guéra Massif

The variation of the Earth's magnetic field over the last millennia is poorly known in Africa, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa that represents less than 1% of the global archeomagnetic dataset. Fourteen iron furnaces from Kenya and Chad have been studied here for archeomagnetic purposes. These structures were dated by 14C from the 14th century in Kenya and from the 18-19th centuries in Chad. Samples, oriented with the plaster cap technique, have been subjected to thermal and alternating field demagnetization, rock magnetic analysis and paleointensity experiment, with the classical Thellier-Thellier technique corrected for anisotropy and cooling rate effects. New directional data (4 from Kenya and 10 from Chad) and one new paleointensity estimate from Kenya (43.5 ± 1.8 μT) were obtained. The Kenyan declinations are in good agreement with the geomagnetic global models, but the inclinations are lower and the intensity higher than predicted. For Chad, the new results prove the efficiency of the archeomagnetic dating, with a precision that is better than radiocarbon for the 18–19th centuries.

New high precision full-vector archaeomagnetic data from a roman kiln in Mérida (Spain)

This study presents new high precision age and full-vector archaeomagnetic data from a kiln excavated in the Roman archaeological site of Mitreo's house (Mérida, Badajoz, Spain). The age of the kiln was obtained by the stratigraphic method and by the ceramological study of the italic and sigillata pottery found with a very precise age date of 55 ± 15 years AD. Rock-magnetic experiments pointed towards magnetite as the main carrier of remanence and highly reversible thermomagnetic curves suggested that the studied samples were suitable for archaeoeointensity determinations.Paleomagnetic experiments including thermal and stepwise alternating field demagnetization yielded the following mean direction for the kiln: declination D = 0.6°; inclination I = 54.0°; (k = 481; α95 = 2.5°). Archaeointensityexperiments with the Thellier – Coe protocol on 28 samples yielded successful determinations in 27 cases. Anisotropy factors between 0.90 and 1.04 were obtained from anisotropy of thermoremanent magnetization (ATRM) experiments. A mean anisotropy-corrected archaeointensity value F = 56.3 ± 5.5 μT was obtained.The geomagnetic model SHA.DIF.14 k was used for an archaeomagnetic dating yielding a chronological interval between 40 BCE and 150 CE. This low age resolution when compared with the pottery-based age data is related to the behavior of the geomagnetic field in the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman period, which does not allow to differentiate well between results corresponding to those centuries. However, it is also related to the fact that the Iberian archaeomagnetic dataset in the analysed time range is highly scattered. A high quality full-vector data with a very precise age have been obtained which contribute to improve the Iberian secular variation curve and geomagnetic databases.

Behavior of Greigite‐Bearing Marine Sediments During AF and Thermal Demagnetization and Its Significance

AbstractGyro‐remanent magnetization (GRM) is a frequently occurring yet unwanted remanence contamination for certain samples during alternating field (AF) demagnetization of the natural remanent magnetization. The origin and detailed properties of GRM have not yet been fully understood. In this study, systematic rock magnetic analyses were conducted on marine greigite‐bearing samples of Hole U1433A drilled by the IODP Expedition 349 from the South China Sea. Results show that GRM is mostly acquired above ~55 mT AF demagnetization and can be effectively removed by heating to ~400°C during thermal demagnetization but a secondary tail could remain until ~585°C. In addition, no apparent GRM was observed during the AF demagnetization for the 400°C thermally treated samples. These results strongly suggest that GRM is dominantly carried by single domain (SD) greigite but with minor contributions from SD magnetite. Thus, thermal treatment alone or the hybrid demagnetization (i.e., thermal demagnetization at ~400°C first then systematical AF demagnetization) can efficiently avoid the GRM acquisition and be beneficial for relative paleointensity estimation for greigite‐bearing samples. Besides, GRM carried by greigite has a low thermal stability. Our results also show AF demagnetization spectra of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) could be strongly distorted by GRM effects due to both have a preference of SD particles. Thus, the median destructive field of ARM is improper to be used as a coercivity proxy for greigite‐bearing samples. Instead, the biplot analysis of AF demagnetization of natural remanent magnetization and ARM can be used to evaluate the relative content of greigite.

Paleomagnetic observations from lake sediments on Samosir Island, Toba caldera, Indonesia, and its late Pleistocene resurgence

AbstractApproximately 74 ka, Toba caldera in Sumatra, Indonesia, erupted in one of the most catastrophic supereruptions in Earth's history. Resurgent uplift of the caldera floor raised Samosir Island 700 m above Lake Toba, exposing valuable lake sediments. To constrain sediment chronology, we collected 173 discrete paleomagnetic 8 cm3 cubes and 15 radiocarbon samples from six sections across the island. Bulk organic 14C ages provide an initial chronostratigraphic framework ranging from ~12 to 46 ka. Natural and laboratory magnetizations were studied using alternating field demagnetization. A generally well-defined primary magnetization is isolated using principal component analysis. Comparison of inclination, and to a lesser degree declination, across independently dated sections suggests paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) is recorded. Average inclination of −6° is more negative than a geocentric axial dipole would predict, but consistent with an eastward extension of the negative inclination anomaly observed in the western equatorial Pacific. The 14C- and PSV-derived age model constrains resurgent uplift, confirming faster uplift rates to the east and slower rates to the west, while suggesting that fault blocks moved differentially from each other within a generally trapdoor-type configuration.

Archaeomagnetic investigations in Bolgar (Tatarstan)

The objective of this study is to provide a well-dated point for a future palaeosecular variation (PSV) reference curve for western Russia. For this purpose archaeomagnetic and magnetic property analyses were carried out on a pottery kiln unearthed at the UNESCO World Heritage site of ancient Bolgar, having a rather precise age dating. The archaeological context provided an age between 1340 and 1360 C.E. The characteristic remanence vector was determined through alternating field demagnetisation and Thellier-Thellier palaeointensity experiments. Some innovations were introduced regarding palaeointensity. The check testing the equality of blocking and unblocking temperature was redefined. This allowed waiving the commonly used additional zero-field cooling steps during the Thellier-Thellier experiment. Another innovation concerns the calculation of archaeointensity at structure level. A Bayesian approach was introduced for averaging individual specimen archaeointensities using a prior probability distribution of unknown uncertainties. Next, an additional prior probability distribution was used to correct for cooling rate effects. This resulted in a lower uncertainty compared to common practice and in eluding time consuming cooling rate experiments. The complex magnetic mineralogy consists of maghaemite, multi-domain haematite and Al-substituted haematite. Some samples contained also some non-stoichiometric magnetite. The magnetic mineralogy was determined through hysteresis loops, backfield and remanence decay curves, measurements of the frequency dependence of magnetic susceptibility and through low temperature magnetisation curves. Accompanying high-temperature thermomagnetic analyses revealed an excellent thermo-chemical stability of the studied specimens. Directions obtained from alternating field demagnetisation and those extracted from archaeointensity experiments are congruent and have low uncertainties. The obtained archaeomagnetic results are fairly in agreement with global geomagnetic field models and contemporary PSV data of the wider area. The geomagnetic field vector obtained for ancient Bolgar is of high quality, deserving thus its inclusion in a future PSV reference curve for European Russia.

Paleomagnetism of Middle Triassic Lavas From Northern Qiangtang (Tibet): Constraints on the Closure of the Paleo‐Tethys Ocean

AbstractWe present results from a paleomagnetic study of Middle Triassic lavas (~242–240 Ma) from the northern Qiangtang block to improve our understanding of the timing and kinematics of the closure of the eastern Paleo‐Tethys Ocean. Characteristic remanent magnetization directions carried by magnetite and hematite formed during high‐temperature oxidation during initial cooling of the lavas are successfully isolated by progressive thermal and alternating field demagnetizations. We bin 28 site mean directions into 20 independent direction groups that pass the fold test, average secular variation, and show no rock magnetic or petrographic evidence of weathering. These data establish the first lava‐based paleomagnetic pole of Middle Triassic age for the northern Qiangtang block (62.2°N, 196.4°E, A95 = 5.6°). We compare this pole to coeval poles from the North China Block and Tarim and estimate that the remnant Paleo‐Tethys or Hoh‐Xil‐Songpan‐Ganzi Ocean could have been up to 700 km at ~240 Ma. A comparison of the Triassic latitudinal history between the northern Qiangtang block and the North China Block and Tarim shows that the closure of the Paleo‐Tethys Ocean most likely occurred during the latest Triassic. Our review of published Permian‐Triassic poles from the northern Qiangtang block show that the average south‐north plate velocity of the terrane decelerated from ~8.5 cm/yr during ~300–240 Ma to ~3.6 cm/yr during ~240–210 Ma. We suggest that an arc‐continent collision between the northern Qiangtang block and a Paleo‐Tethys or Yidun arc around or before 240 Ma contributed to this change in plate velocity.

Detailed palaeomagnetic record at Rose Cottage Cave, South Africa: Implications for the Holocene geomagnetic field behaviour and chronostratigraphy

Palaeomagnetic data from a sedimentary section spanning the Holocene and terminal Pleistocene (~13 kya) from Rose Cottage Cave, eastern Free State (South Africa), are reported. The palaeomagnetic analysis took into account rock magnetism and directional analysis. The former reveals that most samples show stable single domain and superparamagnetic particles of Ti-poor magnetite and haematite. Natural remanent magnetisation directions were determined by progressive alternating field demagnetisation methodology. Directional analysis shows normal directions between samples 18 to 39 and 85 to 92; however, during the Early and Late Holocene in samples principally from RC40 to 84 ‘anomalous’ directions occurred. There is a significant westward shift in declination of ~80°, and a conspicuous fluctuating inclination in the lower part of the section during the Early Holocene at ≥9.5 kya and before ~12.0/13.0 kya. This palaeomagnetic record might become a chronostratigraphical marker for latest Pleistocene/Holocene sedimentary deposits in South Africa. Our two new accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates for the sampled deposit are 9500±50 BP and 1115±30 BP.
 Significance
 
 The study provides new accelerator mass spectrometry dates on the chronological sequence existing in Rose Cottage Cave.
 The findings contribute to the knowledge of the geomagnetic field behaviour since the terminal Pleistocene to the Late Holocene in a period spanning the last 13 000/12 000 years.
 This palaeomagnetic record might become a chronostratigraphical marker for the latest Pleistocene/ Holocene sedimentary deposits in South Africa.

Paleomagnetism of Rumuruti chondrites suggests a partially differentiated parent body

Different types of magnetic fields were at work in the early solar system: nebular fields generated within the protoplanetary nebula, solar fields, and dynamo fields generated within the solar system solid bodies. Paleomagnetic studies of extraterrestrial materials can help unravel both the history of these magnetic fields, and the evolution of solar system solid bodies. In this study we studied the paleomagnetism of two Rumuruti chondrites (PCA 91002 and LAP 03639). These chondrites could potentially bear the record of the different fields (solar, nebular, dynamo fields) present during the early solar system. The magnetic mineralogy consists of pseudo-single domain pyrrhotite in LAP 03639 and pyrrhotite plus magnetite in PCA 91002. Paleomagnetic analyses using thermal and alternating field demagnetization reveal a stable origin trending component of magnetization. Fields of 12 μT or higher are required to account for the magnetization in PCA 91002, but the timing and exact mechanism of the magnetization are unconstrained. In LAP 03639, considering various chronological constraints on the parent body evolution and on the evolution of the different sources of magnetic field in the early solar system, an internally-generated (dynamo) field of ∼5 μT recorded during retrograde metamorphism is the most likely explanation to account for the measured magnetization. This result indicates the existence of an advecting liquid core within the Rumuruti chondrite parent body, and implies that, as proposed for CV and H chondrites, this chondritic parent body is partially differentiated.

Identification of paleomagnetic remanence carriers in ca. 3.47 Ga dacite from the Duffer Formation, the Pilbara Craton

The ca. 3.47 Ga Duffer Formation has been considered to carry one of the oldest paleomagnetic records. Yet, the lack of rock magnetic data limits the interpretation of the nature of the remanence. We conducted a rock magnetic and paleomagnetic investigation on columnar dacite of the Duffer Formation. The main magnetic minerals are phenocrysts of titanomagnetite and magnetite, and secondary hematite in groundmass. Detailed thermal demagnetization revealed more complex natural remanence than previously estimated, consisting of four components with typical unblocking temperature of 200–350, 200–500, 590, and 690 °C. Combined with alternating field demagnetization and rock magnetic data, they are attributed to titanomagnetite, coarse-grained magnetite, fine-grained magnetite, and hematite, respectively. The comparison of unblocking temperature and coercivity suggests that the previously proposed secondary component is carried by fine-grained magnetite as well as hematite, while the putative primary component is carried by coarse-grained magnetite and titanomagnetite. Microscopic observations showed that coarse-grained magnetite and titanomagnetite are primary crystals, although this does not necessarily indicate they preserve primary remanence. The remanence directions of all components revealed higher scatter than the previous studies, suggesting the need for caution in interpretation. The low unblocking temperature of titanomagnetite suggests that if their remanence is truly primary, the rocks must have kept below ~ 250 °C for ~3.47 billion years.

A test of the pseudo-Thellier technique for determining relative palaeointensity in the Tirna Basin, Osmanabad, Maharashtra, India

Abstract A relative palaeointensity determination was obtained using the pseudo-Thellier technique on sediment from Ther, Tirna Basin, Latu-Osmanabad District, Maharashtra, India. The stability of the natural remanent magnetization was investigated by alternating field (AF) demagnetization. Rock magnetic studies suggest that the main carriers of magnetization are ferrimagnetic minerals, predominantly pseudo-single-domain magnetite. To varying degrees, the smoothed palaeoinclination and palaeodeclination patterns of the Tirna Basin are similar to other Asian palaeosecular variation records CALS3k.4, CALS10k.1 and SED3k.1, with an age offset. Measurements of intensity of the natural remanent magnetization left after AF demagnetization v. intensity of anhysteric remanent magnetization gained at the same peak were carried out on a set of samples. A jackknife re-sampling scheme provides error estimates for the palaeointensity. A good agreement pattern can be observed between the Tirna Basin relative palaeointensity proxy and other global curves with an age shift. Although some temporal offsets of palaeointensity features between different records have been recognized, their similar shape suggests that the palaeointensity can give a globally coherent signal and may be used as a relative dating technique. For the first time, relative palaeointensity data for the past 2 kyr from India is presented here, which complement the existing archaeological records but with an additional input.

A 4500 year record of palaeomagnetic secular variation and relative palaeointensity from the Tyrrhenian Sea

Abstract A marine sediment core from the western Mediterranean provides a new high-resolution 4500 year record of palaeomagnetic secular variation and relative palaeointensity. In 2013, the 7.1 m C5 core was recovered from the Tyrrhenian Sea as part of the NextData climate data project. The coring site, 15 km offshore from the Volturno river mouth, is well located to record combined marine and terrestrial palaeoclimatic influences, and the fine-grained, rapidly deposited sediments are effective palaeomagnetic recorders. We investigate the palaeomagnetic field direction and strength recorded in the core, which provide a valuable high-resolution record of Holocene geomagnetic variation in the area. Using rock magnetic techniques, we constrain the magnetic mineralogy of the studied sediments and confirm their suitability for palaeomagnetic analysis. Palaeomagnetic declination and inclination records were determined by stepwise alternating-field demagnetization, and relative palaeointensity estimates were obtained based on normalization to anhysterestic and isothermal remanent magnetization and to magnetic susceptibility. The age of the core is well constrained with a tephra and biostratigraphic age model, and its magnetic records are compared with relevant core and model data for the region, demonstrating that our record is compatible with previous results from the area. An automated curve matching approach is applied to assess the compatibility of our data with the existing secular variation path for the Mediterranean area.

Paleomagnetic constraints on the early Miocene closure of the southern Neo-Tethys (Van region; East Anatolia): Inferences for the timing of Eurasia-Arabia collision

Oligocene-Miocene convergence of the Eurasian and Arabian plates resulted in (i) the gradual closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean that formed an open marine connection between the Indian Ocean and the proto-Mediterranean until the early Miocene and (ii) Eurasia-Arabia continental collision. Remnants of the Neo-Tethys basin are found scattered over eastern Anatolia. The Van region of SE Anatolia contains a unique stratigraphic succession (Van Formation) of this ancient marine corridor, showing a gradual transition from deep-marine marls to continental clastics and shallow marine deposits. This formation is considered a key unit for the late stage evolution of the Neo-Tethys Ocean as it contains one of the youngest marine deposits of the southern Neo-Tethys branch in SE Anatolia. Here, we present new magnetostratigraphic and Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) data to better constrain the timing of the marine-continental transition and the style of deformation in the Van region. The Van Formation was sampled in ~2-m stratigraphic resolution, with ~350 paleomagnetic cores drilled in stratigraphic order. These cores were analyzed with thermal and alternating field demagnetization, resulting in a magnetic polarity pattern that could straightforwardly be correlated to the standard Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS). The base of the section has an age of ~19.5 Ma, the marine-continental transition is dated at 18.8 Ma, and the top of the succession has an age of ~16.8 Ma. The AMS data show a conspicuous change from extensional to contractional patterns, coinciding with the end of open marine environments, at an age of ~19 Ma. We hypothesize that the closure of the marine basin and the concomitant change in stress regime in the Van region are related to the onset of Eurasia-Arabia collision and the terminal subduction of the Neo-Tethys oceanic lithosphere.

Experimental Evaluation of Remanence Carriers Using the Microcoercivity‐Unblocking Temperature Diagram

AbstractKnowledge of remanence carriers in recording media is crucial for obtaining reliable paleomagnetic data. In this paper, we report a newly developed technique to determine remanence carriers in natural rock samples that uses anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) spectra in the microcoercivity (hc) and unblocking temperature (TUB) planes. The distribution of ARM carriers was determined via systematic stepwise demagnetization experiments of ARM combining thermal demagnetization and alternating field demagnetization treatments and calculating the change in ARM intensity on the hc‐TUB plane (hc‐TUB diagram). Samples from three basaltic lavas and two welded tuffs were analyzed. Combining the hc‐TUB diagram with the change in ARM coercivity spectra, both decreases and increases in magnetic minerals due to the thermal alteration during laboratory heating could be identified. From experimental samples, ARM carrier components were identified as being original rather than produced as a result of thermal alteration. In the case of the Izu‐Oshima 1986 A lava flow (1986La) sample, it was confirmed from the hc‐TUB diagram that high‐hc components can be separated using stepwise alternating field demagnetization treatment but not stepwise thermal demagnetization treatment. Paleointensity experiments were also conducted on Izu‐Oshima 1986 A lava flow samples. Two of the three paleointensity estimates were greater than the expected field intensity, suggesting a certain rock‐magnetic property that affects the paleointensity estimation. The hc‐TUB diagrams of the Izu‐Oshima 1986 A lava flow samples suggest that the differences in the paleointensity estimates were likely caused by different degrees of the high‐temperature oxidation state.

Deformation of rhyolite lava crust associated with intermittent inner flow of lava: palaeomagnetic evidence

SUMMARY A palaeomagnetic study has been conducted to examine the deformation of thick crusts of rhyolite lava while its inner portions continue to flow. The Sanukayama rhyolite lava, which erupted in the Pleistocene in Kozushima Island, Japan, was chosen as the investigation site because of its well-exposed vertical lithofacies variations classified into three distinct zones (pumiceous, obsidian and crystalline). The targets of this study are the pumiceous and obsidian zones, which constitute the crust of the lava. Thermal demagnetization reveals three remanent magnetization components from the pumiceous and obsidian samples but only a single magnetization component from the inner crystalline rhyolite samples. Alternating field demagnetization is ineffective in isolating the magnetization components in the pumiceous and obsidian samples. The multiple components of remanent magnetization of the crust are interpreted to have been acquired during cooling as thermoremanent magnetizations. We suspect intermittent lava transport of the inner portions, the primary mode of rhyolite lava advancement, to be responsible for the presence of multiple components in pumice and obsidian of the lava crust. When the inner portions of the lava retain mobility to flow out of the crust, the solidified crust of the lava surface below the magnetite Curie temperature remains susceptible to deformation. Analysis of palaeomagnetic directions from the crust allows the deformation of the crust to be described in terms of rotation. Although the mode of rhyolite lava advancement is not well understood, because of its infrequent occurrence, our observations offer an important insight on how the mobile part of the lava is associated with the deformation of the crust during continued lava advance.

Late Pleistocene Chronology of Sediments From the Yermak Plateau and Uncertainty in Dating Based on Geomagnetic Excursions

AbstractThe Yermak Plateau is one of several regions in the Arctic Ocean where paleomagnetism yields controversial results. Despite low sedimentation rates, late Pleistocene paleomagnetic excursions have been reconstructed from many cores in the region, but they are characterized by considerably longer durations when compared to established ones. Self‐reversal during maghemitization of (titano)magnetite has been proposed as one explanation. Rock magnetic, 14C dating, sedimentological and stable isotope (δ18O) methods were employed to three new sediment cores to put paleomagnetic results in the context of the regional stratigraphy and chronology. Coherence of lithological parameters and δ18O variations validated the ratio of anhysteretic remanent susceptibility to bulk magnetic susceptibility (κARM/κ) as a parameter for cross‐core correlation. As established by earlier studies, we use the link between glacial/interglacial cycles and κARM/κ to tune our records to a global δ18O stack, which provides age models that are independent of radicarbon ages and paleomagnetic data. Our results show that zones of negative magnetic inclination are asynchronous across the plateau. Alternating field demagnetization data revealed that negative inclinations are contained in a medium‐high‐coercivity (>25–35 mT) magnetic phase that may be the result of postdepositional alteration of (titano)magnetite. We note a positive relationship between water depth and excursion duration, which may be driven by changes in water mass circulation on glacial/interglacial timescales.

AF demagnetization and ARM acquisition at elevated temperatures in natural titanomagnetite bearing rocks

SUMMARY Understanding the temporal changes of the Earth’s magnetic field intensity is one of the main goals of modern palaeomagnetism. For most palaeointensity methods to yield reliable results, the magnetic minerals must obey a set of rules. One of these rules is the additivity of partial thermal (TRM) or anhysteretic remanent magnetizations (ARM). Additivity was previously shown for partial TRM in single-domain particles and more generally for ARMs. Additivity between these two low-field remanences, however, has not been investigated, yet. This paper presents a series of rock magnetic experiments on natural low Ti titanomagnetites (Curie temperature between 534 °C and 561 °C) examining the effects of high temperatures on alternating field (AF) demagnetization and acquisition of an ARM. One of our sample sets comes from a borehole drilled through the impact melt sheet of the Manicouagan crater (Canada), the other from the Rocche Rosse lava flow on the island of Lipari (Italy). Hysteresis parameters indicate the magnetic carriers in the pseudo-single-domain range showing no evidence for oxidation. Thermal demagnetization at 300 °C and 500 °C before AF demagnetization shifts the coercivity spectra towards higher fields. AF demagnetization experiments at 500 °C show a significant (by a factor between 1.4 and >7.6) reduction in median destructive field and a shift towards lower coercivities. A linear relationship was found between the peak magnetic field required to demagnetize a fraction of a full TRM of a sample at a specific temperature and the one necessary to demagnetize the same fraction at room temperature after heating to that temperature. The comparison of full ARM and partial TRM at successively higher temperatures with a hybrid hTARM reveals that combined additivity between the two kinds of remanences is fulfilled. These results open the possibility to demagnetize highly coercive minerals, such as hematite and goethite, which is often not achievable at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the additivity of TRM and ARM remanences may be used to develop novel hybrid TRM/ARM palaeointensity methods for samples, where heating is problematic (e.g. in meteorites).

Paleomagnetic Secular Variation and Relative Paleointensity During the Holocene in South China—Huguangyan Maar Lake Revisited

AbstractThe scarcity of reliable paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) records from East Asia especially from low‐latitude regions impedes better understanding of global PSV mechanisms. Here we report on a radiocarbon‐dated Holocene PSV record from a composite ~6.7‐m‐long core collected from the high‐sedimentation‐rate Huguangyan Maar Lake (HML) in subtropical‐tropical South China. Rock magnetic results demonstrate that the natural remanent magnetization resides in single‐domain magnetite. Alternating field demagnetization experiments at 1‐cm spacing on u‐channel samples reveal six distinct inclination highs at ~7,500 BCE, ~5,100 BCE, ~4,600 BCE, ~3,600–3,400 BCE, ~1,600–1,200 BCE, and 600–800 CE; three inclination lows at ~4,800 BCE, ~600–300 BCE, and ~1,000–1,300 CE; and three eastward declination trends at ~3,600–3,200 BCE, ~2,600–2,400 BCE, and 400 BCE to 200 CE. The similarity between the HML PSV record and other independently dated records from East Asia and geomagnetic field models corroborates the robustness of our age model and Holocene PSV record. Strikingly, centennial‐ to millennial‐scale PSV features of the HML are comparable, within age uncertainties, with other Holocene records from Europe, North America, and Canada, suggesting that such directional patterns are likely to be hemispheric in scale. Although relative paleointensity data of HML are affected by environmental factors (e.g., organic matter diagenesis), the record still provides a regionally important new PSV reference curve whose conspicuous features may serve as stratigraphic markers for East Asian paleorecords.