Apparent Polar Wander Path Research Articles

Deformation along the Deseado Massif (Patagonia, Argentina) during the Jurassic Period and its relationship with the Gondwana breakup: paleomagnetic and geochronological constraints

This work presents the analysis of paleomagnetic results obtained from four sampling areas of the Jurassic Bahía Laura Complex in the Deseado Massif and their implications on the regional deformation history during the breakup of Gondwana. Paleomagnetic data show cessation of tectonic block rotations about vertical axes around 160 Ma and a change from a transtensional to a mainly extensional tectonic regime. Two biotite samples yielded 40Ar–39Ar radiometric ages: one from the eastern outcrops of the Chon Aike Formation (plateau age of 184.66 ± 0.55 Ma) and the other from the La Matilde Formation (plateau age of 157.40 ± 0.65 Ma), located at the central part of the Deseado Massif. Finally, an apparent polar wander path (APWP) was calculated for the Jurassic of South America (200 to 140 Ma). This APWP indicates that South America experienced a northward drift between 200 Ma and 170 Ma, a clockwise rotation (~10°) between 170 Ma and 160 Ma, and a westward drift between 160 Ma and 140 Ma. The 170–160 Ma rotation could has been triggered by the combined effects of the uncoupling of the Antarctic Peninsula, the high rates of subduction of the Phoenix plate beneath Patagonia, the opening of the Rocas Verdes basin and the Weddell Sea, and the cessation of the Tethys slab-pull. Furthermore, the calculated APWP for South America does not support a Jurassic massive true polar wander event.

On Pole Position: Causes of Dispersion of the Paleomagnetic Poles Behind Apparent Polar Wander Paths

AbstractPaleomagnetic poles used to compute apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) are strongly dispersed, which was recently shown to cause a large fraction (>50%) of these poles to be statistically distinct from the APWP to which they contributed, suggesting that current statistical approaches overestimate paleomagnetic resolution. Here, we analyze why coeval paleopoles are so dispersed, using the paleopoles behind the most recent global APWP and a compilation of paleomagnetic data obtained from <10 Ma volcanic rocks (PSV10). We find that paleopoles derived from sedimentary rocks, or from data sets underrepresenting paleosecular variation (PSV), are more dispersed and more frequently displaced. We show that paleopoles based on a smaller number of paleomagnetic sites are more dispersed than poles based on larger data sets, revealing that the degree to which PSV is averaged is an important contributor to the pole dispersion. We identify as a fundamental problem, however, that the number of sites used to calculate a paleopole, and thus the dispersion of coeval paleopoles, is essentially arbitrary. We therefore explore a different approach in which reference poles of APWPs are calculated from site‐level data instead of paleopoles, thereby assigning larger weight to larger data sets. We introduce a bootstrap‐based method for comparing a collection of paleomagnetic data with a reference data set on the same hierarchical level, whereby the uncertainty is weighted against the number of paleomagnetic sites. Finally, our study highlights that demonstrating smaller tectonic displacements requires larger paleomagnetic data sets, and that such data sets can strongly improve future APWPs.

E/I-corrected inclination shallowing in Cenozoic redbeds from the northern Tarim Basin, NW China: Possible causes and paleogeographic implications

AbstractBecause of their widespread occurrence and ability to carry stable remanence, continental redbeds in central Asia are frequently used in paleomagnetic studies. However, the paleomagnetic inclinations recorded by redbeds are much shallower than the expected values, as redbeds are usually subjected to inclination shallowing. To recognize and correct the inclinations recorded by the Cenozoic redbeds, the paleomagnetic data that were used for magnetostratigraphic studies in the Kuqa Depression, northern Tarim Basin, are reanalyzed in this study. The mean inclinations of the four groups of samples (Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene) are systematically ~20° shallower than the expected values calculated from the apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) of Eurasia, indicating the presence of inclination shallowing. We apply the elongation/inclination (E/I) method to correct the inclination shallowing. The mean inclinations of the Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene sediments are corrected from 40.5° to 63.1°, 41.0° to 63.8°, 42.0° to 63.8°, and 44.7° to 63.2°, within 95% confidence limits between 55.1° and 71.6°, 53.7° and 70.4°, 51.5° and 72.7°, and 52.2° and 71.3°, respectively, which are indistinguishable from the expected inclination values. Our results suggest that inclination shallowing in the redbeds of central Asia can be reasonably corrected using the E/I method, and sedimentary processes such as compaction and/or imbrication in the very early stage of burial are important causes for inclination shallowing. Paleolatitudes calculated from the E/I-corrected inclinations show that the Tarim Basin should have reached or been at least close to its current latitude since the Cretaceous. The Cenozoic crustal shortening estimate of the northern Tarim Basin is not detectible for paleomagnetic study.

Paleomagnetism of the Ordovician section of the Mishina Gora (Pskov oblast): a record of the ancient geomagnetic field and restrictions on the age of the Mishinogorsk explosive structure

Paleomagnetic studies of the Ordovician rocks of the Mishina Gora explosive structure (Gdovsky district, Pskov region) have been carried out. Based on the results of thermal magnetic cleaning, two stable magnetization components S and P have been identified. These components have similar unblocking temperature ranges (~200–600°C), but their mean directions are statistically different the difference of their mean directions are statistically significant. Refional fold–test indicates the postfolding age of the component S and prefolding age of the component P. Prefolding age of the latter is supported by the positive result of the local fold-test which has been carried out in the scale of the studied section. Comparison of the paleomagnetic pole calculated from the S component with the Apparent Polar Wander Path for the East European Platform definitely indicates the Late Permian-Early Triassic age of this component, which, in combination with the available geological observations, determines the time range of the formation of the Mishina Gora structure as ~370-250 million years ago. The ancient component of the magnetization P has the same direction as the components, which have been identified earlier in a number of coeval sections of the North-West of Russia, Estonia, and Scandinavia and which have been considered to be primary. The corresponding paleomagnetic poles are widely used in Paleozoic geodynamic and tectonic paleoreconstructions with the participation of the Baltic paleocontinent. A positive fold test result for the P component validates the use of these poles for paleoreconstructions. For the stratigraphic interval, which includes the upper Floian, Dapinian, and lower 2/3 of the Darrivilian stages, a magnetostratigraphic section has been constructed containing a single magnetozone corresponding to the reverse polarity of the geomagnetic field. Thus, the magnetostratigraphic data do not support the hypothesis of the existence of intervals of normal polarity within the Ordovician geomagnetic superchron of reverse polarity (Moyero superchron).

Paleomagnetic survey of the Goulburn Supergroup, Kilohigok Basin, Nunavut, Canada: Toward an understanding of the Orosirian apparent polar wander path of the Slave craton

The Orosirian paleopoles from the three circum-Slave basins (i.e., the Great Slave, Coronation, and Kilohigok Basins) of the Slave craton show large (∼110°) and back-and-forth swings at 1.96–1.87 Ga, known as the Coronation loops. The Coronation loops, taken at face value, would imply rapid and substantial spin motions of the Slave craton, which is at odds with modern plate tectonics. Alternatively, the Coronation loops have been interpreted as a product of basin-scale rotations, local-scale vertical-axis rotations, or inertial interchange true polar wander (IITPW). One way to differentiate these models is to take advantage of the well-correlated stratigraphy in three circum-Slave basins and directly compare the time-equivalent paleomagnetic results. In this study, we collected ∼300 samples from nine formations from the Goulburn Supergroup of the Kilohigok Basin, in shallowly dipping autochthonous sections east of the Bathurst Fault. We provide seven new reconnaissance-level paleopoles of the Slave craton, namely from the Kenyon, Hackett, Rifle, Beechey, Link, Kuuvik, and Brown Sound Formations of the Goulburn Supergroup. Our results and the compiled Orosirian paleomagnetic data of the Slave craton suggest that although basin-scale rotation or local vertical-axis rotation in fault zones are able to explain some of the disagreements among time-correlative paleopoles, they could not account for the large declination variation within the homoclinal sections in individual basins. Notably, our results from the ∼1963 Ma Rifle Formation show progressive changes in declination through the stratigraphy, which cannot be explained by either basin-scale or local vertical-axis rotations. Selective remagnetization is also considered unlikely to be the cause. Instead, we suggest that IITPW could potentially be responsible for the Coronation loops, which could also provide an explanation for some discrepant paleomagnetic data observed globally during the Orosirian time.

Deformation understanding in the Upper Paleozoic of Ventana Ranges at Southwest Gondwana Boundary

At the east of the Ventana Ranges, Buenos Aires, Argentina, outcrops the Carboniferous-Permian Pillahuincó Group (Sauce Grande, Piedra Azul, Bonete and Tunas Formation). We carried out an Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) study on Sauce Grande, Piedra Azul and Bonete Formation that displays ellipsoids with constant Kmax axes trending NW–SE, parallel to the fold axes. The Kmin axes are orientated in the NE–SW quadrants, oscillating from horizontal (base of the sequence-western) to vertical (top of the sequence-eastern) positions, showing a change from tectonic to almost sedimentary fabric. This is in concordance with the type and direction of foliation measured in petrographic thin sections which is continuous and penetrative to the base and spaced and less developed to the top. We integrated this study with previous Tunas Formation results (Permian). Similar changes in the AMS pattern (tectonic to sedimentary fabric), as well as other characteristics such as the paleo-environmental and sharp curvature in the apparent polar wander path of Gondwana, marks a new threshold in the evolution of the basin. Those changes along the Pillahuincó deposition indicate two different spasm in the tectonic deformation that according to the ages of the rocks are 300–290 Ma (Sauce Grande to Bonete Formation deposition) and 290–276 Ma (Tunas Formation deposition). This Carboniferous-Permian deformation is locally assigned to the San Rafael (Hercinian) orogenic phase, interpreted as the result of rearrangements of the microplates that collided previously with Gondwana, and latitudinal movements of Gondwana toward north and Laurentia toward south to reach the Triassic Pangea.

New Paleointensities From the Skinner Cove Formation, Newfoundland, Suggest a Changing State of the Geomagnetic Field at the Ediacaran‐Cambrian Transition

AbstractThe geomagnetic field in the Ediacaran period appears to be characterized by anomalous directions, high reversal frequencies, and ultra‐low field strength. At the Ediacaran‐Cambrian transition, apparent polar wander paths become less controversial, but hyper‐reversing fields with reversal frequencies similar to earlier in the Ediacaran have been reported until the mid‐Cambrian. To understand the long‐term behavior of the magnetic field during this transitional interval, information about the field strength is vital but currently lacking. To improve the intensity record at that time, samples of volcanic rocks from the 550 Ma Skinner Cove Formation, western Newfoundland, have been used for paleointensity determination. This multi‐method paleointensity study, utilizing thermal and microwave Thellier as well as double‐heating Shaw and pseudo‐Thellier experiments produces paleointensity estimates of 2.6–10.3 μT, corresponding to virtual dipole moments of 0.65–2.25 × 1022 Am2. Analyses using scanning electron microscopy and rock magnetic measurements, as well as a positive intraformational conglomerate test, suggest that the remanence is primary. These intensity estimates are higher than earlier Ediacaran intensities and could point to the geomagnetic field entering into a stronger, more dipole‐dominated state at the Ediacaran‐Cambrian boundary.

An improved apparent polar wander path for southwest Japan: post-Cretaceous multiphase rotations with respect to the Asian continent

To construct the Mesozoic apparent polar wander path (APWP) for the inner arc of the southwestern Japanese islands (referred to as southwest Japan) and compare it to that of East Asia, a 110 Ma paleomagnetic pole for southwest Japan was determined. Mudstone and sandstone samples were collected from 16 sites for paleomagnetic analysis in the Lower Cretaceous Inakura Formation of the Inakura area in the central part of southwest Japan. A high-temperature magnetization component, with unblocking temperatures of 670–695 °C, was isolated from 12 sites of red mudstone. Of these, 11 sites revealed a primary remanent magnetization during the Early Cretaceous. The primary directions combined with the previously reported ones provide a new mean direction (D = 79.7°, I = 47.4°, α95 = 6.5°, N = 17), and a corresponding paleomagnetic pole that is representative of southwest Japan (24.6° N, 203.1° E, A95 = 6.8°). The Early Cretaceous paleomagnetic pole, together with the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic poles, constitute a new APWP for southwest Japan. The new APWP illustrates a standstill polar position during 110–70 Ma, suggesting tectonic quiescence of this region. This standstill was followed by two large tracks during the Cenozoic. We interpret these tracks as clockwise tectonic rotations of southwest Japan that occurred twice during the Cenozoic. The earlier tectonic rotation occurred for a tectonic unit positioned below northeast China, the Liaodong and Korean Peninsulas, and southwest Japan (East Tan-Lu Block) during the Paleogene. The later rotation took place only under southwest Japan during the Neogene. Cenozoic multiphase rifting activity in the eastern margin of the Asian continent was responsible for the tectonic rotations that are observed from the paleomagnetic studies. Intermittent rifting may constitute a series of phenomena due to asthenospheric convection, induced by the growth of the Eurasian mega-continent in the Mesozoic.

Paleomagnetic testing of the Lachlan Orocline hypothesis: Overprinting of remanence in Paleozoic rocks of the Lachlan Orogen in southeast Australia

Paleomagnetic studies in the Lachlan Orogen have indicated rotation of elements within it, but the evidence for rotation is limited and has significant statistical uncertainty. This study presents a detailed paleomagnetic investigation, assisted by X-ray analysis of magnetic mineralogy of middle Cambrian to lower Silurian sedimentary and igneous rocks in Victoria and New South Wales. Four demagnetisation behaviours (types A, B, C and D) have been recognised. Type A is characterised by a single component, resulting in an approximately linear path over the magnetite unblocking temperature range. Type B specimens exhibit slow progressive demagnetisation over a wide temperature range, with clustering of demagnetised directions above the magnetite Curie temperature, indicating hematite. Behaviour C is also characterised by clustering of directions, but this extends over a wider temperature range. Samples with behaviour D show noisy and non-informative demagnetisation, indicating very low magnetic stability. Hysteresis data confirm that samples with behaviour B and C have high coercivities and remain unsaturated above 300 mT. Mineral liberation analysis of selected samples indicates presence of iron oxides, magnetite, titanomagnetite, botryoidal hematite and iron hydroxides. Only three sites yielded specimens with type A primary magnetisation, with a poorly defined pole from the Dookie Volcanics on the central limb of the orocline, which does match a previous result from the same district. Two paleopoles, of type B and C specimens from the rocks in Tabberabbera Zone and the Rockley Volcanics, plot within the confidence limit of poles defining the late Silurian to Early Devonian Australian apparent polar wander path. These poles match other poles representing Devonian overprints around the margins of the Lachlan Orogen that have been interpreted to be the result of alteration mineralisation produced by fluids driven by tectonic compression during events in the Bindian (420–410 Ma) or early Tabberabberan (405–380 Ma) orogenies. KEY POINTS Paleomagnetic techniques have been used to test the rotation within the elements of the Lachlan Orocline in southeast Australia. Results suggest that the original remanence in the rocks is obscured owing to post-deformation overprint. This overprint is widespread in the Lachlan Orogen and is associated with the deformation during Bindian/Tabberabberan orogenic events.

Jurassic fast polar shift rejected by a new high-quality paleomagnetic pole from southwest Greenland

A selective compilation of paleomagnetic data from North America indicates that a vast amount of rapid polar motion occurred in Late Jurassic time. The over 30° polar shift that accumulated during a relatively short time interval (~160–145 Ma) suggests an episode of fast true polar wander (TPW) and was referred to as the Jurassic “monster polar shift” by some workers. However, this rapid TPW event is not supported by paleomagnetic data on a global scale. Here, we scrutinize the Jurassic apparent polar wander path (APWP) by virtue of a new paleomagnetic and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology study of Mesozoic coast-parallel dykes exposed in southwest Greenland. Combined with existing geochronological data, our results show that the dykes were emplaced during a prolonged period centered at 147.6 ± 3.4 Ma (2σ). A primary nature of the characteristic remanent magnetization is supported by multiple positive baked contact tests and a reversal test. The paleomagnetic pole calculated from 40 site-mean paleomagnetic directions is located at Plat = 69.3°S, Plong = 5.0°E (A95 = 4.6°), or at Plat = 73.9°S and Plong = 0.4°E when reconstructed to North America. Our new high-quality paleomagnetic pole and an updated global APWP do not support the fast Jurassic polar shift but instead indicate steady polar motion with moderate rates of about 0.7°/Myr. The new pole effectively reduces the mismatch between the APWPs for Laurentia and Europe. Our critical reassessment of the monster polar shift indicates that it may be an artifact of paleomagnetic and geochronological data that were previously used to argue for its existence.

North China block underwent simultaneous true polar wander and tectonic convergence in late Jurassic: New paleomagnetic constraints

Jurassic witnessed two synchronous events on the Earth, named true polar wander (TPW) and closure of the Mongol–Okhotsk ocean (MOO) between Siberia and eastern Asian blocks. The paleogeographic change of the north China block (NCB) should thus include both TPW and plate tectonic components in Jurassic. We performed a new combined paleomagnetic and U–Pb geochronological study for Middle and Late Jurassic volcanic rocks from the northern NCB and obtained three new well-dated paleopoles: 82.7°N, 282.6°E, A95=3.2° (ca. 160 Ma); 84.1°N, 228.9°E, A95=6.6° (ca. 165 Ma); and 89.3°N, 216.8°E, dp/dm = 5.4°/7.1° (ca. 170 Ma). A positive untilting test indicates a pre-folding origin interpretation for the ca. 160 Ma pole. Quality of these poles is enforced by three positive conglomerate tests, the presence of magnetic reversals and secular variation analyses. Comparison of the apparent polar wander paths of Eurasia and the NCB suggests that the NCB accreted to Eurasia around 140 Ma. The NCB and its then connected blocks did not undergo any significant southward paleogeographic shift during Jurassic. In context of TPW, we estimate a net northward plate moving velocity at 0.50–0.75°/myr for the NCB in Jurassic. The long-term accumulation of MOO subducted slabs at the high paleolatitudes may have critically contributed to, or perhaps led to, the Jurassic TPW.

New high-quality paleomagnetic data from the Borborema Province (NE Brazil): Refinement of the APW path of Gondwana in the Early Cambrian

The Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic transition (~541 Ma) was a turning point in Earth’s history resulting in great biological changes between the microbial Precambrian life and the Ediacaran biotic revolution with the occupation of the sedimentary substrate, the dawn of biomineralization and the appearance of the earliest multicellular organisms. In parallel, this period is marked by a large plate reorganization leading to the assembly of Gondwana and by major climatic changes (extreme glacial events). Due in part to a poor paleomagnetic database for the different cratons in the Ediacarian-Cambrian times, the global paleogeography at that time remains controversial. In this study we present a new high-quality paleomagnetic pole (R = 7) for the Monteiro dyke swarm in the Borborema Province (NE Brazil) located at 18.2°S and 344.9°E (A95 = 11.7° K = 9.3). They are fine-grained hornblende dolerite dated by U-Pb on zircon at ~538 Ma. Rock magnetic data indicate that magnetite and pyrrhotite are the main remanence carriers. Positive baked-contact tests support the primary remanence obtained for these dykes (19 sites). A positive reversal test (classified C) was also obtained from the 14 sites with negative inclination and the 5 sites with positive inclination, indicating that the paleosecular variation was eliminated. Our new key pole is not consistent with the classical apparent polar wander path of the Gondwana which consists of a long track from a southern polar position at ~590 Ma to an equatorial position at ~520 Ma, and suggests instead rapid and small oscillations of the APW, after the end of the large IITPW at ca. 560 Ma. These TPWs are supposedly caused by changes in the inertia tensor of the Earth due to internal mass redistribution, related to rapid changes in subduction velocity. Links of these rapid oscillations and the timing of the Cambrian radiation could be crucial to understand the early history of animal life

Paleomagnetic results from Upper Triassic and Middle Jurassic strata of east-central New Mexico, and implication for North American apparent polar wander path

Two apparent polar wander (APWP) paths for North America (NA) diverge during the Jurassic. The path based on paleomagnetic results from igneous rocks of eastern NA, well-dated Ontario kimberlites, and carbonates and radiolarites of Adria (northern Italy - transformed to NA coordinates) has a large gap at high latitude, which could document rapid plate motion or True Polar Wander. The APWP from coeval NA sedimentary rocks define a lower-latitude, more continuous path. The discrepancy between the two paths has been attributed to inclination error (IE) from deposition and compaction of the sediments.New paleomagnetic results from Upper Triassic (Garita Creek, Trujillo, and Redonda Formations) and Middle Jurassic (Entrada, Summerville, and Lower Morrison Formations) sedimentary units of east-central New Mexico have positive reversal and fold tests, which indicate their magnetization, mostly carried by detrital hematite, is primary. Interpretation of noisy and non-linear demagnetization paths was facilitated by a smoothing scheme, which did not bias the mean directions. Using sample-level directions from line fits, IE was estimated ~20° for the Jurassic units, but is negligible for the Triassic units because mean directions are horizontal. Mean paleomagnetic poles for the ~223 Ma (Garita Creek and Trujillo) and ~214 Ma Redonda Formations are 55.7°N/78.7°E/A95 = 3.2° and 59.7°N/81.0°E/A95 = 4.0°; those for the ~163 Ma Summerville and ~155 Ma Morrison Formations are 59.3°N/138.1°E/A95 = 6.5° and 48.7°N/151.8°E/A95 = 7.8°.Simulated ~163 Ma paleomagnetic poles based on Summerville results and a wide range of IE show that no amount of IE correction to the Summerville directions would produce poles consistent with the high-latitude Jurassic APWP. Furthermore, paleomagnetic poles for Trujillo, Redonda, Summerville, and Lower Morrison Formations of east-central New Mexico, even with IE-correction, streak approximately along the 60° parallel (present coordinates) for most of late Triassic and Jurassic, which validates the lower-latitude APWP. Another explanation for the APWP discrepancy is required.

Constraining the Cambrian drift of Gondwana with new paleomagnetic data from post-collisional plutons of the Araçuaí orogen, SE Brazil

Despite their importance in constraining the dynamics of Gondwana’s final phase of assembly, Cambrian paleomagnetic data from Gondwana are sparse. The Cambrian paleomagnetic dataset of Western Gondwana is especially poor, being defined by only a handful of poles. Here we contribute new Furongian paleomagnetic data from the ~500 Ma post-collisional, Santa Angelica and Venda Nova plutons from the southern portion of the Araçuaí orogen in SE Brazil. The characteristic magnetization isolated from both plutons reveals two groups of directions that are demonstrated to be antipodal. On the basis of a thermal diffusion model, we attribute these antipodal directions to primary thermoremanent magnetizations acquired by cooling of the plutons in the presence of a reversing field. Together, paleomagnetic results from 35 sites distributed between the two plutons allows computation of a new ~500 Ma paleopole: 4.7° N, 332.2° E, A95 = 4.06 and K = 68.82. This pole does not resemble any younger paleomagnetic poles either from Gondwana or the independent South American plate after the demise of Pangea, but instead closely corresponds to the Miaolingian and Furongian sector of reference apparent polar wander paths for Gondwana. It also agrees well with the limited existing individual early Paleozoic poles from Western Gondwana. Our new result may thus be regarded as a reference pole for Western Gondwana in Furongian time. Considerations of the Cambrian paleomagnetic data from Eastern and Western Gondwana suggest that while the supercontinent was amalgamated by ~500 Ma, there was likely significant motion between Eastern and Western Gondwana in earlier Cambrian time.

North China craton: The conjugate margin for northwestern Laurentia in Rodinia

Abstract In the Rodinia supercontinent, Laurentia is placed at the center because it was flanked by late Neoproterozoic rifted margins; however, the conjugate margin for western Laurentia is still enigmatic. In this study, new paleomagnetic results have been obtained from 15 ca. 775 Ma mafic dikes in eastern Hebei Province, North China craton (NCC). Stepwise thermal demagnetization revealed a high-temperature component, directed northeast or southwest with shallow inclinations, with unblocking temperatures of as high as 580 °C. Rock magnetism suggests the component is carried by single-domain and pseudo-single-domain magnetite grains. Its primary origin is supported by a positive reversal test and regional remanence direction correlation test, and the paleomagnetic pole (29.0°S, 64.7°E, A95 = 5.4°) is not similar to any published younger poles of the NCC. Matching the late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic (ca. 1110–775 Ma) apparent polar wander paths of the NCC and Laurentia suggests that the NCC could have been the conjugate margin for northwestern Laurentia in Rodinia, rather than sitting off the northeast coast of the main Rodinian landmass. Geological data indicate that breakup of the NCC and Laurentia occurred between ca. 775 and 720 Ma.

Reliability of palaeomagnetic poles from sedimentary rocks

SUMMARY Palaeomagnetic poles form the building blocks of apparent polar wander paths and are used as primary input for quantitative palaeogeographic reconstructions. The calculation of such poles requires that the short-term, palaeosecular variation (PSV) of the geomagnetic field is adequately sampled and averaged by a palaeomagnetic data set. Assessing to what extent PSV is recorded is relatively straightforward for rocks that are known to provide spot readings of the geomagnetic field, such as lavas. But it is unknown whether and when palaeomagnetic directions derived from sedimentary rocks represent spot readings of the geomagnetic field and sediments are moreover suffering from inclination shallowing, making it challenging to assess the reliability of poles derived from these rocks. Here, we explore whether a widely used technique to correct for inclination shallowing, known as the elongation–inclination (E/I) method, allows us to formulate a set of quality criteria for (inclination shallowing-corrected) palaeomagnetic poles from sedimentary rocks. The E/I method explicitly assumes that a sediment-derived data set provides, besides flattening, an accurate representation of PSV. We evaluate the effect of perceived pitfalls for this assumption using a recently published data set of 1275 individual palaeomagnetic directions of a >3-km-thick succession of ∼69–41.5 Ma red beds from the Gonjo Basin (eastern Tibet), as well as synthetic data generated with the TK03.GAD field model. The inclinations derived from the uncorrected data set are significantly lower than previous estimates for the basin, obtained using coeval lavas, by correcting inclination shallowing using anisotropy-based techniques, and by predictions from tectonic reconstructions. We find that the E/I correction successfully restores the inclination to values predicted by these independent data sets if the following conditions are met: the number of directions N is at least 100, the A95 cone of confidence falls within a previously defined A95min-max reliability envelope, no negative reversal test is obtained and vertical-axis rotation differences within the data set do not exceed 15°. We propose a classification of three levels (A, B and C) that should be applied after commonly applied quality criteria for palaeomagnetic poles are met. For poles with classification ‘A’, we find no reasons to assume insufficient quality for tectonic interpretation. Poles with classification ‘B’ could be useful, but have to be carefully assessed, and poles with classification ‘C’ provide unreliable palaeolatitudes. We show that application of these criteria for data sets of other sedimentary rock types classifies data sets whose reliability is independently confirmed as ‘A’ or ‘B’, and that demonstrably unreliable data sets are classified as ‘C’, confirming that our criteria are useful, and conservative. The implication of our analysis is that sediment-based data sets of quality ‘A’ may be considered statistically equivalent to data sets of site-mean directions from rapidly cooled igneous rocks like lavas and provide high-quality palaeomagnetic poles.

An Integrated Paleomagnetic, Multimethod‐Paleointensity, and Radiometric Study on Cretaceous and Paleogene Lavas From the Lesser Caucasus: Geomagnetic and Tectonic Implications

AbstractSixteen rhyolitic and dacitic Cretaceous and Paleocene‐Eocene lavas from the Lesser Caucasus have been subjected to paleomagnetic and multimethod paleointensity experiments to analyze the variations of the Earth's magnetic field. Paleointensity experiments were performed with two methods. Thellier‐type experiments with the IZZI method on 65 specimens (nine flows) yielded 15 successful determinations and experiments with the multispecimen method on 14 samples (seven flows) yielded two successful determinations. The joint analysis of the results obtained with both methods produced a mean FuK = (19.9 ± 3.7) µT for upper Cretaceous and FPg = (20.7 ± 3.3) µT for Paleogene sites. Low virtual axial dipole moments for the Cretaceous (3.4 × 1022 Am2) and Paleogene (3.5 × 1022 Am2) samples support the idea of a lower average dipole moment during periods of stable polarity of the Earth magnetic field. Mean flow paleomagnetic directions did not match expected upper Cretaceous to Paleogene directions calculated from the European Apparent Polar Wander Path. While inclination results roughly agreed with expected values, a group of sites showed nearly North‐South paleodeclinations (D = 1.1° ± 14.2°), and another group displayed eastward deviated paleodeclinations (D = 72.9° ± 26.6°). These results suggest the occurrence of nearly vertical‐axis rotations, probably as a result of continental collision since Oligocene. In addition to paleomagnetic and palaeointensity analyses, new K‐Ar absolute age determinations have been performed on three of the studied sites, yielding Late Cretaceous ages (78.7 ± 1.7, 79.7 ± 1.6, and 83.4 ± 1.8 Ma (2σ)).

Paleomagnetism of the Sette-Daban Meso-Neoproterozoic magmatic complex of the southeastern margin of the Siberian platform

The interval of ~ 1000 - ~ 900 Ma is one of the key ones in the history of the evolution of the Siberian Platform. At this time, the formation of the neoproterozoic supercontinent Rodinia took place, which undoubtedly found its reflection in the geological annals of Siberia. A reflection of the kinematics of the Siberian platform is its apparent pole wander path (APWP), the development of which will help to clarify the geodynamic in which the platform was at the beginning of the Neoproterozoic. However, not many objects of this age are known within the Siberian Platform, suitable for performing paleomagnetic determinations. The consequence of this is a very limited number of existing reliable poles, obtained either from sedimentary rocks with very imprecise age limits, or from rocks of the Yenisei Ridge and Taimyr with an ambiguous structural position. This paper presents the results of paleomagnetic studies of the Proterozoic igneous rocks of the Sette-Daban complex of the southern Verkhoyansk region, the formation of which took place ~ 1000-970 Ma ago. Detailed thermal magnetic cleaning made it possible to reveal the high-temperature (HT) characteristic component in a significant part of the samples. It has maximum unblocking temperatures of about 580 ° C, lying in the region of the Curie point of magnetite. The average direction of the characteristic component for the sills sampled in the valley of the Yudoma, coincides with the direction obtained earlier on the same bodies. The calculated paleomagnetic pole for the intrusive bodies of the Sette-Daban magmatic complex (Plat = 5.8 °, Plong = 182.9 °, dp / dm = 9.0 ° / 14.4 °) confirms and refines the previously obtained pole for the rocks of this complex, and also indicates that Siberia in the range of ~ 970-1000 Ma was located in the northern hemisphere in tropical latitudes (~ 26 ° N). The analysis of the available geochronological and geochemical data, coupled with new paleomagnetic data, made it possible to clarify the age of the Sette-Daban magmatic event and limit it within ~ 970-1000 Ma.

Testing the Reliability of Sedimentary Paleomagnetic Datasets for Paleogeographic Reconstructions

Paleogeographic reconstructions largely rely on paleomagnetic data, mostly in the form of paleomagnetic poles. Compilations of poles are used to determine so called apparent polar wander paths (APWPs), which capture the motion through time of a particular location with respect to an absolute reference frame such as the Earth’s spin axis. Paleomagnetic datasets from sedimentary rocks are particularly relevant, because of their spatial distribution and temporal continuity. Several criteria have been proposed through the years to assess the reliability of paleomagnetic datasets. Among these, the latitudinal-dependent elongation of a given paleomagnetic directions distribution, predicted by a widely accepted paleosecular variations model, has been applied so far only to investigate inclination flattening commonly observed in sedimentary rocks. We show in this work that this concept can be generalized to detect “contamination” of paleomagnetic data derived from tectonic strain, which is not always detected by field observation only. After generating different sets of simulated geomagnetic directions at different latitudes, we monitored the variations in the shape of the distributions after applying deformation tensors that replicate the effect of increasing tectonic strain. We show that, in most cases, the “deformation” of the dataset can be detected by elongation vs. inclination ratios not conforming to the values predicted by the paleosecular variations model. Recently acquired paleomagnetic directions and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS; a parameter very sensitive to tectonic strain) data from New Caledonia verifies the results of these simulations and highlights the importance of measuring AMS when using sedimentary paleomagnetic data for paleogeographic reconstruction. We suggest to include always AMS measurement and analysis of the distribution shape to assess sedimentary paleomagnetic data used for paleogeographic reconstructions.

Inverted South China: A novel configuration for Rodinia and its breakup

Abstract Disentangling records of Rodinia fragmentation and true polar wander remains a challenge for understanding late Tonian plate tectonics. The ca. 760 Ma lower member of the Liántuó Formation, South China, yields a primary paleomagnetic remanence that passes both the fold and reversal tests. This new result and recently reported ca. 800 Ma data from elsewhere in South China suggest a new interpretation of its apparent polar wander path, whereby pre–770 Ma poles have inverted absolute polarity relative to traditional interpretations. Based on this inversion, and an interpretation of several oscillations of true polar wander documented by global data during 810–760 Ma, we propose a novel reconstruction for Rodinia and its breakup. Our reconstruction places the South China, India, and Kalahari cratons to the southwest of Laurentia, with connections that might have been established as early as ca. 1000 Ma. Our model also suggests that initial rifting of Rodinia occurred at ca. 800 Ma via fast northward motion of the India craton and South China.