Matuyama-Brunhes Geomagnetic Reversal Research Articles

Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal record and associated key tephra layers in Boso Peninsula: extraction of primary magnetization of geomagnetic fields from mixed magnetic minerals of depositional, diagenesis, and weathering processes

We report paleomagnetic records of Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic polarity reversal and associated key tephra layers from the Early–Middle Pleistocene marine sedimentary succession in the Boso Peninsula. The outcrop is in Terasaki, Chiba, Japan and ~ 25 km northeast of the Chiba section. The sediment succession consists of a massive siltstone layer of the Kokumoto Formation, Kazusa Group. A tephra layer was identified in the middle of the outcrop with chemical composition comparable to that of the Byk-E tephra layer from the Chiba section defining the base of the Chibanian Stage. Oriented paleomagnetic samples were collected at intervals of 1–10 cm from the siltstone. To identify the primary remanent magnetization, progressive alternating field demagnetization (PAFD) and progressive thermal demagnetization (PThD) were conducted on pilot samples. Identification of primary magnetization with PAFD was not successful, especially for reversely magnetized samples. In addition, magnetization during PThD showed sharp drops around 175 °C, which decreased gradually between 175 °C and ~ 300 °C, and became unstable above ~ 350 °C. To extract the primary remanent magnetization while avoiding laboratory alteration by heating, a PThD up to 175 °C followed by PAFD was conducted. Combined analysis of remagnetization circles enables extraction of primary magnetization with improved reliability. Rock magnetic experiments were conducted during stepwise heating to understand the magnetic minerals involved and to evaluate the influence of laboratory heating. During heating, FORC-PCA revealed significant changes of magnetic minerals at 200 °C, 400 °C, 450 °C and 550 °C. Rock magnetic analyses and electron microscopy indicate that titanomagnetite/magnetite are magnetic minerals contributing to primary remanent magnetization. Greigite was also identified preserving secondary magnetizations during sub-seafloor diagenesis. The presence of feroxyhyte is suggested as secondary magnetization through the weathering of pyrite by exposure to the air after the Boso Peninsula uplift. The correlation of relative paleointensity with the Chiba section provides an age model with sedimentation rates of 30 cm/kyr and 18 cm/kr for the intervals above and below the Byk-E tephra. VGP latitudes are highly consistent with those from the Chiba section based on the age model, which assigns the main directional swing from reversed to normal polarities as 772.8 ± 0.5 ka.Graphical

Scientific drilling of sediments at Darwin Crater, Tasmania

Abstract. A 70 m long continental sediment record was recovered at Darwin Crater in western Tasmania, Australia. The sediment succession includes a pre-lake silty sand deposit overlain by lacustrine silts that have accumulated in the ∼816 ka meteorite impact crater. A total of 160 m of overlapping sediment cores were drilled from three closely spaced holes. Here we report on the drilling operations at Darwin Crater and present the first results from petrophysical whole core logging, lithological core description, and multi-proxy pilot analysis of core end samples. The multi-proxy dataset includes spectrophotometry, grain size, natural gamma rays, paleo- and rock magnetism, loss on ignition, and pollen analyses. The results provide clear signatures of alternating, distinctly different lithologies likely representing glacial and interglacial sediment facies. Initial paleomagnetic analysis indicate normal magnetic polarity in the deepest core at Hole B. If acquired at the time of deposition, this result indicates that the sediment 1 m below commencement of lacustrine deposition post-date the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal ∼773 ka.

Constraining the age of the last geomagnetic reversal from geochemical and magnetic analyses of Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Ocean sediments

We studied four marine sediment records of the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal from four sites located in the Indian, Atlantic and western Pacific oceans. The results combine paleomagnetic, cosmogenic nuclide beryllium (10Be) and oxygen isotope analyses that were performed on the same samples in order to avoid any stratigraphic bias. The three records from the equatorial Indian Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean did not reveal any offset between the authigenic 10Be/9Be ratio (Be-ratio) peak and the interval of low relative paleointensity (RPI) that characterizes the reversal. The lower and upper limits of transitional directions are also concomitant with the increased atmospheric 10Be production that accompanied the geomagnetic dipole intensity decrease. In contrast, the record from western equatorial Pacific Ocean sediments was found 18 cm below the Be-ratio changes as a result of late magnetization acquisition. At all four sites, maximum 10Be production occurred at the same period soon after the maximum of Marine Isotope Stage 19 (MIS 19) and, therefore, indicates its synchronous worldwide character. Such features are effectively observed from the Be-ratio signals and their relationship with the magnetic transition interval, which further confirms the synchronous character of the transition. Taking all dating uncertainties (1.6 ka between sites and 5 ka for the age model) into consideration, our records suggest a mean reversal age of 772.4 ± 6.6 ka. The age of the transition in the Atlantic Ocean record is closer to 774 ka but this difference is within the limit of significance.

On the reliability of the Matuyama–Brunhes record in the Sulmona Basin—Comment to ‘A reappraisal of the proposed rapid Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the Sulmona Basin, Italy’ by Evans and Muxworthy (2018)

On the reliability of the Matuyama–Brunhes record in the Sulmona Basin—Comment to ‘A reappraisal of the proposed rapid Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the Sulmona Basin, Italy’ by Evans and Muxworthy (2018)

Magnetostratigraphic dating of the hominin occupation of Bailong Cave, central China

Intermontane basins in the southern piedmont of the Qinling Mountains are important sources of information on hominin occupation and settlement, and provide an excellent opportunity to study early human evolution and behavioral adaptation. Here, we present the results of a detailed magnetostratigraphic investigation of the sedimentary sequence of hominin-bearing Bailong Cave in Yunxi Basin, central China. Correlation to the geomagnetic polarity time scale was achieved using previously published biostratigraphy, 26Al/10Be burial dating, and coupled electron spin resonance (ESR) and U-series dating. The Bailong Cave hominin-bearing layer is dated to the early Brunhes Chron, close to the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal at 0.78 Ma. Our findings, coupled with other records, indicate the flourishing of early humans in mainland East Asia during the Mid-Pleistocene climate transition (MPT). This suggests that early humans were adapted to diverse and variable environments over a broad latitudinal range during the MPT, from temperate northern China to subtropical southern China.

A re-appraisal of the proposed rapid Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the Sulmona Basin, Italy

A re-appraisal of the proposed rapid Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the Sulmona Basin, Italy

How fast was the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal? A new subcentennial record from the Sulmona Basin, central Italy

How fast was the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal? A new subcentennial record from the Sulmona Basin, central Italy

On the quantity of the glacial–interglacial cycles of the Brunhes Chron identified in the deep-water and terrestrial sections

Based on the fact that eight global glacial–interglacial cycles are identified in the Brunhes Chron from the deep-sea oxygen isotope records, it is shown that the discrepancies in the number of glacial cycles determined from the deep-water and terrestrial paleoclimatic records largely come from the loess sequences of different regions. An incomplete geological record, the uncertain position of the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the geological sequence, and insufficiently correct identification of the climatic rank of the corresponding warmings and coolings are the most probable sources of this inconsistency. A consistent systematic approach applied in the integrated investigations of the loess-soil sequences is likely to yield the solution to these problems. The guidelines are suggested for the paleomagnetic studies focused on the most accurate location of the Matuyama–Brunhes reversal in the loess sequences.

A detailed paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic investigation of the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal recorded in the tephra-paleosol sequence of Tlaxcala (Central Mexico)

Geomagnetic reversals are global phenomena, for about 50 years the paleomagnetists attempted to acquire as many detailed records as possible using the magnetic memory of sediments and lava flows. Yet, transitional field behavior remains poorly characterized largely because of sporadic aspect of volcanic eruptions. In some specific cases, paleosols such as those developed from alluvial or aeolian sediments, may also record the variations of the Geomagnetic Field across the polarity changes. Here, we report a detailed paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic investigation on some radiometrically dated chromic luvisols located in Central Mexico carrying detrital or chemical remanent magnetization. The research was developed in order i) to demonstrate the primary origin of the magnetic remanence and ii) to show that paleosoils are good candidates to provide a high resolution record of the behavior of geomagnetic field during reversals. The lower part of the paleosoil sequence shows a clearly defined reverse polarity magnetization followed by geomagnetically unstable transitional field and ended by normal polarity remanence. Our AMS and rock magnetic data suggest that magnetization is acquired during the initial stage of soil formation in context of active volcanic activity since magnetic fabric is essentially sedimentary and reverse and normal polarity paleodirections are almost antipodal. Titanomagnetites are identified as main magnetic carriers of rock-magnetic measurements including thermomagnetics and hysteresis cycles. We propose that the transition recorded in this study correspond to the B-M boundary, considering the K-Ar datings available at the sequence bottom and that the chromic luvisols are potentially good recorders of the paleosecular variation. The identification of the B-M boundary within the studied sequence has fundamental significance for improving the chronological scale of Tlaxcala paleosol-sedimentary sequence and its correlation with the global proxies.

Timing of the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal: Decoupled thermal maximum and sea-level highstand during Marine Isotope Stage 19

Recent high-resolution magnetic and microfossil data from a long core penetrating the Osaka Group, Japan are astronomically tuned and reassessed to reveal detailed stratigraphic features across the Matuyama–Brunhes (MB) polarity transition during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19. The sediments have a uniform and high average accumulation rate of 63 cm/ky. Astronomical tuning based on six calibration points, including a clear MIS 19.2 sea-level lowstand, dates the main MB boundary (MBB) to 777.6 ka, the sea-level peak of the MIS 19.3 highstand to 780.7 ka, and the climatic thermal maximum (TM) to 776.4 ka. The MB transition began with a short-lived normal polarity episode that occurred before the highstand at MIS 19.3, and terminated with multiple rapid reversals that occurred between highstand MIS 19.3 and lowstand 19.2. The TM just postdates the termination of the MB transition, and occurs about 4000 years after the sea-level peak. The delayed TM is also observed at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel and on the Mediterranean coast, and possibly at Lake Baikal. In high-resolution records from Chinese loess–paleosols and deep-sea sediments, the rapid reversal zone of the MBB has a very similar climatostratigraphic character. These magneto-climatostratigraphic features in MIS 19 are useful for correlating between terrestrial and marine sediments. The delay in warming relative to the sea-level highstand seems to have been due to a cloud-albedo effect induced by an increase in galactic cosmic ray flux during an extremely low magnetic field intensity interval.

Palaeomagnetic results from the Chiapanecan Volcanic Arc, Chiapas, Southern Mexico: geomagnetic and geodynamic significance

This article presents the first palaeomagnetic results from 13 independent cooling units in the Chiapanecan Volcanic Arc (ChVA). Six sites were directly dated by Ar–Ar or K–Ar methods: their dates range from 2.14 to 0.23 Ma. We isolated the characteristic palaeodirections for all 13 lavas. Eleven non-transitional directions yield a mean direction with inclination, I = 30.7°, declination, D = 4.1°, and precision parameters k = 63 and α95 = 5.8°. The corresponding mean palaeopole position is Plat = 83.3°, Plong = 203.8°, K = 227, A 95 = 5.1°. The mean inclination is in good agreement with the expected value for the last 5 million years, as derived from the synthetic North American polar wander path [Besse and Courtillot 2002, Apparent and true polar wander and the geometry of the magnetic field in the last 200 million years: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 107, no. B11, p. 2300], but a measured rotation of the palaeodeclination of about 8° with respect to the expected direction suggests the possibility of a clockwise rotation of the studied ChVA units. We have estimated the characteristics of palaeosecular variation through study of the scatter of virtual geomagnetic poles, obtaining a palaeosecular variation parameter S b = 14.5° with upper limit S U = 19.6° and lower limit S L = 11.7°, in reasonable agreement with the fit of model G [McFadden et al., 1988, Dipole/quadrupole family modeling of paleosecular variation: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 93, no. B10, p. 11583–11588; 1991, Reversals of the Earth's magnetic field and temporal variations of the dynamo families: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 96, no. B3, p. 3923–3933] to the Johnson et al. [2008, Recent investigations of the 0–5 Ma geomagnetic field recorded by lava flows: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, v. 9, no. 4, ID Q04032, doi:10.1029/2007GC001696] databases for the last 5 million years. In those cases in which age determinations are available, the polarity obtained for the studied flows is consistent with their stratigraphic positions, except for the Huitepec site, which probably reflects the transitional geomagnetic regime prior to the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal.

Magnetostratigraphic dating of the Xiashagou Fauna and implication for sequencing the mammalian faunas in the Nihewan Basin, North China

The Nihewan Basin sedimentary sequences in northern China are rich in mammalian fossil and Paleolithic sites, thus providing insights into our understanding of Quaternary land mammal biochronology and early human settlements in East Asia. Here we present high-resolution magnetostratigraphic results that place stringent age controls on the Xiashagou (XSG) Fauna (that is, the well-known Nihewan Fauna sensu stricto) in the Nihewan Basin, northern China. Results show that the XSG sequence recorded the Brunhes normal chron, the Matuyama reverse chron and the late Gauss normal chron. The XSG Fauna resides in the Matuyama reverse chron (between the pre-Reunion Matuyama chron and the post-Olduvai Matuyama chron), yielding an estimated age of ca. 2.2–1.7 Ma. The Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary (Gauss/Matuyama boundary) is located in the lower part of the XSG section. The combination of our study and previously published magnetostratigraphic data suggest that the mammalian fossil sites in the eastern Nihewan Basin can be placed between the Gauss–Matuyama geomagnetic reversal and the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal (2.58–0.78 Ma), leading to a time range of ca. 2.6–0.8 Ma for the Nihewan mammalian faunas.

The Kamikatsura event and the Matuyama–Brunhes reversal recorded in lavas from Tjörnes Peninsula, northern Iceland

We report paleomagnetic results from four overlapping stratigraphic sections (55 flows) through the lava pile in Tjörnes peninsula (North Iceland). The initial aim of our study was to check the existence of intermediate directions previously interpreted as belonging to the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal (MBR), and complete this record with Thellier–Thellier paleointensity determinations and 40Ar/ 39Ar radioisotopic dating. The directional results corroborate the findings by Kristjánsson et al. (1988): a sequence of reversed, transitional, normal, and transitional polarity (R–T–N–T) is found in each section. The polarity change is characterized by a jump from reversed virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) to a quasi-cluster of transitional VGPs located over China, followed by a second jump to a cluster of normal polarity before moving again towards intermediate polarities. Reversely magnetized flows exhibit a magnetic mineralogy well suited for paleointensity determination. Of these 25 flows, 20 yielded paleointensity estimates of good quality. Unfortunately, the systematic presence of coarse multidomain (MD) titanomagnetite in the transitional and normal polarity flows hampered paleointensity estimates for these flows. The Virtual Dipole Moments (VDM) calculated for the reversed polarity flows vary from 4.9 to 7.0 × 10 22 Am 2 with an arithmetic mean value of 5.5 ± 0.8 × 10 22 Am 2. This value is identical to the mean VDM obtained for the 0.3–5 Ma time window and thus strengthens the conclusion that the recent geomagnetic field strength is anomalously high compared to that older than 0.3 Ma. 40Ar/ 39Ar isochron ages were obtained with the incremental heating technique on groundmass separates or phenocryst-poor whole rock samples. Six of the transitionally magnetized lavas yielded isochron ages that are indistinguishable from one another at the 95% confidence level. The weighted average age is 862 ± 51 ka. In the upper part of this volcanic sequence, the normally magnetized flows yielded a weighted average age of 787 ± 40 ka. This finding supports the conclusion that a geomagnetic excursion within the Matuyama chron is recorded in the lower part of the Tjörnes volcanic sequence, whereas only the latest portion of the MBR is recorded by flows in the upper part of the lava pile. This conclusion is supported via comparison of the VGPs obtained from the lavas with those predicted by a geomagnetic field model.

Post-depositional remanent magnetization lock-in and the location of the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal boundary in marine and Chinese loess sequences

Bioturbation disturbs detrital magnetic particles after deposition, so accurate recording of the ancient geomagnetic field in bioturbated sediments is widely attributed to acquisition of a post-depositional remanent magnetization (PDRM) whereby the geomagnetic field exerts a torque on a magnetic particle and aligns it with the field after the final mixing event experienced by the particle. The relationship between the Matuyama–Brunhes boundary (MBB) and oxygen isotope age tie points in marine sediments has been widely used to determine the depth at which the paleomagnetic signal is locked-in. However, such analyses can be badly affected by age discrepancies among different paleoclimatic proxies and by varying isotopic compositions of seawater in different locations and from the presence of different water masses at different depths at the same location. It is therefore necessary to separately compare paleomagnetic data with respect to either benthic or planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotope records for sites from the same water mass to avoid inadvertently introducing age differences to the analysis. When the global data set is subjected to such a rigorous analysis, few reliable data remain for the MBB. Using two complementary approaches, we estimate that the MBB is, on average, shifted ≤ 20 cm below its true position in marine sediments. This offset is the sum of the thickness of the bioturbated surface mixed layer, which is possibly dominant, and the PDRM lock-in depth. There is also controversy concerning observed differences in the position of the MBB relative to paleoclimatic proxies in marine sediments and Chinese loess deposits. For the Chinese loess, quartz grain size is insensitive to pedogenic alteration and is a useful parameter for determining the true position of the MBB with respect to paleoclimatic boundaries. We conclude that the MBB occurs late in marine oxygen isotope stage 19, and in the upper part of Chinese paleosol unit S8, rather than at the mid or lower part of loess unit L8. Our results require adjustment of the generally accepted positions for the MBB, and resolve a longstanding chronological conundrum for marine and Chinese loess sequences.

Morphology of the Iceland Basin Excursion from a spherical harmonics analysis and an iterative Bayesian inversion procedure of sedimentary records

Based on 5 published marine high-resolution sedimentary records of the Iceland Basin Excursion [IBE; Channell, J.E.T., Hodell, D.A., Lehman, B., 1997. Relative geomagnetic paleointensity and ∂ 18O at ODP Site 983/Gardar Drift, North Atlantic since 350 ka. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 153, 103–118; Laj, C., Kissel, C., Roberts, A., 2006. Geomagnetic field behavior during the Iceland Basin and Laschamp geomagnetic excursions: a simple transitional field geometry? Geochem. Geophys. Geosystems. 7, Q03004, doi:10.1029/2005GC001122] dated around 186–190 kyr, we present models of the excursional geomagnetic field at the Earth's surface using two different approaches. First a spherical harmonics analysis is performed after synchronization of the records using their paleointensity profiles. Second, we have used an iterative Bayesian inversion procedure, calibrated using the single volcanic data available so far. Both modeling approaches suffer from imperfections of the paleomagnetic signals and mostly from the still poor geographical distribution of detailed records, presently available only from the North Atlantic and the West Pacific. For these reasons, our modeling results should only be regarded as preliminary models of the geomagnetic field during the IBE, susceptible to improvements when including results from future paleomagnetic studies. Nevertheless, both approaches show distinct similarities and are stable against moderate variations of modeling parameters. The general picture is that of a dipole field undergoing a strong reduction, but remaining higher than the non-dipole field all through the excursional process, except for a very short interval of time corresponding to the dipole minimum at the center of the excursion. On the other hand, some differences exist between the results of the two models with each other and with the real data when the virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) paths are considered. The non-dipole field does not appear to undergo very significant changes during the excursion except for a slight increase just at the dipole minimum. The width of mid-height of the dipole minimum, which can be considered as an approximate measure of the duration of the IBE is of the order of 3 kyr according to the SPECMAP age model, consistent with a suggestion by Gubbins [Gubbins, D., 1999. The distinction between geomagnetic excursions and reversals. Geophys. J. Int. 137, F1–F3]. These results are compared to those obtained for the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal [Leonhardt, R., Fabian, K., 2007. Paleomagnetic reconstruction of the global geomagnetic field evolution during the Matuyama/Brunhes transition: iterative Bayesian inversion and independent verification. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 253, 172–195].

Timing of the Nihewan formation and faunas

Magnetostratigraphic dating of the fluvio-lacustrine sequence in the Nihewan Basin, North China, has permitted the precise timing of the basin infilling and associated Nihewan mammalian faunas. The combined evidence of new paleomagnetic findings from the Hongya and Huabaogou sections of the eastern Nihewan Basin and previously published magnetochronological data suggests that the Nihewan Formation records the tectono-sedimentary processes of the Plio–Pleistocene Nihewan Basin and that the Nihewan faunas can be placed between the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal and the onset of the Olduvai subchron (0.78–1.95 Ma). The onset and termination of the basin deposition occurred just prior to the Gauss–Matuyama geomagnetic reversal and during the period from the last interglaciation to the late last glaciation, respectively, suggesting that the Nihewan Formation is of Late Pliocene to late Pleistocene age. The Nihewan faunas, comprising a series of mammalian faunas (such as Maliang, Donggutuo, Xiaochangliang, Banshan, Majuangou, Huabaogou, Xiashagou, Danangou and Dongyaozitou), are suggested to span a time range of about 0.8–2.0 Ma. The combination of our new and previously published magnetostratigraphy has significantly refined the chronology of the terrestrial Nihewan Formation and faunas.

10Be evidence for the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the EPICA Dome C ice core

An ice core drilled at Dome C, Antarctica, is the oldest ice core so far retrieved. On the basis of ice flow modelling and a comparison between the deuterium signal in the ice with climate records from marine sediment cores, the ice at a depth of 3,190 m in the Dome C core is believed to have been deposited around 800,000 years ago, offering a rare opportunity to study climatic and environmental conditions over this time period. However, an independent determination of this age is important because the deuterium profile below a depth of 3,190 m depth does not show the expected correlation with the marine record. Here we present evidence for enhanced 10Be deposition in the ice at 3,160-3,170 m, which we interpret as a result of the low dipole field strength during the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal, which occurred about 780,000 years ago. If correct, this provides a crucial tie point between ice cores, marine cores and a radiometric timescale.

Further application of the deconvolution method of post-depositional DRM to the precise record of the Matuyama-Brunhes reversal in the sediments from the Boso Peninsula, Japan

The Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal was continuously recorded in the massive siltstones of the Boso marine sediments in Japan with the time resolution better than 9 years. However the Boso sediments probably have the post-depositional detrital remanent magnetization (pDRM) depressing short-period variations due to the convolution of the geomagnetic field. The previous application of the deconvolution method of pDRM to the 900 year records gave the half fixing depth of 21 cm. Further application of this fixing depth to the 4100 year record clearly shows nearly 100 year variations in both of the inclination and declination.

Geographical distribution of transitional VGPs: Evidence for non-zonal equatorial symmetry during the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal

Paleomagnetic records of the Matuyama-Brunhes polarity reversal obtained recently from the northern, equatorial and southern latitudes of the Atlantic sector display a distinct symmetry with respect to the Equator. The virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) paths from the mid-latitude sites in the northern and southern hemispheres (DSDP Site 609 and Core V16-58) are nearly coincident, tracking northward through the Americas. The VGP path from the equatorial site (ODP Site 664) tracks northward through eastern Asia, nearly antipodal to the other two paths. Modeling results indicate that superimposing an h 1 3 geometry onto a reversing axial dipole explains the sense of equatorial symmetry exhibited by these three records. These results are consistent with the bulk of the data available from other records of this polarity transition, suggesting that the transitional VGPs during this reversal tend to fall along two distinct longitudinal bands. The grouping of transitional VGPs suggests that there is a strong geographical control over the reversal process. An apparent correlation between the longitudinal bands of transitional VGPs and the location of the major flux concentrations in the radial component of the historical geomagnetic field at the core-mantle boundary [1] suggests that the processes which cause these flux concentrations may have influenced the geometry of the Matuyama-Brunhes transitional field.