Paleosecular Variation Record Research Articles

Paleomagnetism‐Based Chronology of Holocene Lava Flows at Mt Ruapehu, Aotearoa New Zealand

AbstractDating young lava flows is essential for understanding volcano's eruption frequency, yet challenging due to methodological limitations of commonly used dating techniques. Ruapehu (Aotearoa New Zealand) produced many lava flows during the Holocene, but constraints on the timing of these eruptions are scarce. Here, we use paleomagnetic dating to deliver new eruption ages of 18 lava flows with uncertainties ranging between 500 and 2,700 years (at the 95% confidence level). Comparison between lava flows' paleomagnetic directions and a local paleosecular variation record indicates that the large lava flow field located on the Whakapapa area was emplaced during at least three distinct eruptive episodes between 10600 and 7400 BP. Two of these episodes closely followed a large collapse event that affected Ruapehu's northern area and generated large volumes of lava between 10600 and 8800 BP, with the third episode producing less voluminous lava flows between 8100 and 7400 BP. Following a smaller collapse of the southeastern sector of the edifice at ca. 5300 BP, several low‐volume lava flows were emplaced during at least two distinct eruptive episodes prior to ca. 1000 BP, which supplied the Whangaehu valley with lava. The youngest age inferred from our data represents the youngest eruption age provided for a lava flow outside Ruapehu's summit region. This research provides greater detail to the Holocene effusive chronology at Ruapehu, shedding light on partial cone reconstructions after edifice collapses during the Holocene, and the time relationships between trends observed in its effusive and explosive activity.

A Lake Record of Geomagnetic Secular Variations for the Last 23 ka From Lake Chala: Toward a Composite Directional Lake Record of the Earth's Magnetic Field for Equatorial East Africa

AbstractThe documentation and understanding of variations in the Earth's magnetic field through time is fundamental for several disciplines, but current geomagnetic models rely on datasets heavily biased toward the mid‐ and high northern latitudes. The African continent and surrounding islands and oceans are particularly underrepresented. Here, we present a new record of paleo‐secular variation (PSV) of the inclinations over the last 23 ka from Lake Chala, situated at 3°S near Mt Kilimanjaro in eastern equatorial Africa. This groundwater‐fed crater lake is characterized by a high sedimentation rate (ca. 1 cm/10 years) and a particularly well‐constrained age model based on 210Pb and 14C dating. The magnetic mineralogy of the sediments is tested with rock magnetic analyses. The Lake Chala inclination record shows four highs and lows over 20 ka and compares well with that of Lake Malawi (10°S) between 20 and 16.2 ka, and from 9.8 to 2.6 ka. This record is linked to PSV records at Lakes Victoria and Malawi using a sequence slotting technique to generate a composite PSV model for east Africa. Analyzed at best‐possible resolutions up to 200 years, the Lake Chala PSV record not only represents an important contribution to improve our understanding of local and global features of the Earth's magnetic field. It also expands the utility of paleomagnetism as a key tool for dating and correlation both for archeological sites throughout East Africa and the many volcanoes, active or dormant, of the East African Rift System.

Paleomagnetic constraint of the age and duration of the Taupō Eruption, New Zealand

We have carried out paleomagnetic analyses of tephras from the Taupō eruption, one of the most violent eruptions on Earth in the past 5000 years. Pyroclastic deposits were collected with 7 cm3 cubes pushed into each unit of the Taupō eruption sequence, consisting of airfall units and overlying ignimbrite. Where possible, we targeted fine-ash layers and matrix, as lapilli sized material can significantly affect the quality of the analysis. The samples were oriented using a collection device specially designed to maximize accuracy. All samples were subjected to alternating field demagnetization, while samples from Taupō ignimbrite (Y7)—the only unit deposited hot were also subjected to thermal demagnetization. The characteristic remanent magnetizations (ChRMs) for specimens from unit Y1, the lower and upper parts of unit Y4, and unit Y7 are well determined (α95 < 3.3°). The declinations and inclinations of site-mean ChRMs range from 3.0° to 7.1° and − 53.4° to − 56.2°, respectively, in close agreement with published results from lithic fragments of the Taupō ignimbrite (Y7). The mean ChRM of unit Y3 does not fit within 95% confidence limits of the ChRM of other units. We presume this is a consequence of unit Y3 samples containing relatively coarse grains and of probable secondary process of the deposit. This outlier aside, our results show consistency between thermoremanent magnetizations of ignimbrite and detrital remanences of co-eval ashfalls, thus validating our method for further tephra research. Both geological observations and paleomagnetic estimation using angular difference suggest that the duration of the Taupō eruption sequence was less than a few tens of years. Furthermore, matching the overall mean ChRM direction (Dec = 4.3°, Inc = − 55.3°, α95 = 1.3°, N = 38 specimens) to the New Zealand paleosecular variation record using the MATLAB dating tool, most likely supports a younger age (ca. 310 CE) than the reported wiggle match eruption age of 232 ± 10 CE.Graphical

Paleosecular variation record from Pleistocene-Holocene lava flows in southern Colombia

Improvements in the spatial and temporal coverage of paleomagnetic data are essential to better evaluate paleofield behaviour over the past 10 Myr, especially due to data scarcity at low latitudes in the South American region. Here, we provide new Pleistocene-Holocene (0–2 Ma age interval) paleodirectional data from three volcanic systems (Doña Juana Volcanic Complex, Galeras Volcanic Complex and Morasurco Volcano) in southwestern Colombia between latitudes 1.2 and 1.4°N. A total of 38 paleodirectional sites were studied using progressive alternating field and thermal demagnetization treatments. After excluding transitional data, we obtain thirty site-mean directions for analysis of paleosecular variation (PSV) and the time-averaged field (TAF) in the study area. The mean direction (Dec = 351.2°, Inc = −3.4°, α95 = 6.2°, k = 20.0) and the paleomagnetic pole (Plat = 80.7°N, Plon = 173.1°E, A95 = 5.2°, K = 29.1) of these sites are not statistically compatible with the expected geocentric axial dipole (GAD) field direction and geographic north pole, respectively. Virtual geomagnetic pole dispersion (SB) for our filtered dataset (SB(2Ma) = 15.212.017.6°) and the Brunhes chron (SB(Bru) = 16.011.619.1°) are consistent at the 95% confidence level with South American studies at equatorial latitudes and recent PSV models for the 0–10 Ma and Brunhes intervals. Likewise, the corresponding inclination anomaly (ΔI) for two age groups ΔI2Ma = − 5.9−12.10.3° and ΔIBru = − 5.3−13.73.1° suggests large deviations relative to the GAD model, in accordance with predictions from zonal TAF models. The high VGP dispersion could be linked to strong longitudinal variability of the magnetic equator position over South America. This feature reflects the presence of significant non-dipole field components in this region that have been detected in geomagnetic field models for the most recent centuries and millennia, probably associated with the presence of the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly in the South American region.

A High‐Resolution Paleosecular Variation Record for Marine Isotope Stage 6 From Southeastern Black Sea Sediments

AbstractA full‐vector paleosecular variation (PSV) record (inclination, declination, and relative paleointensity) from the pen‐ultimate glacial (130–180 ka) could be constructed from a total of 12 sediment cores recovered from the Arkhangelsky Ridge in the SE Black Sea. Stacking of the individual partly fragmented records was achieved by a detailed correlation using high‐resolution data records from X‐ray fluorescence scanning, Ca/Ti and K/Ti log‐ratios, as well as magnetic susceptibility. Age constraints are provided by a detailed composite oxygen isotope stratigraphy from three of the cores, correlated to U‐Th‐dated speleothem oxygen isotope records from Hungary and Turkey. The temporal resolution of the stacked paleomagnetic data records is 200 years. Practically, this data set is the first high‐resolution PSV record for SE Europe/SW Asia from marine isotope stage 6, comprising inclination, declination and relative paleointensity. Besides an easterly swing in declination at ∼159 ka and a pronounced intensity low together with low inclinations at ∼148 ka, both not reaching an excursional PSV index of &gt;0.5, the obtained directional variations reflect only normal PSVs, with a PSV index of &lt;0.3.

Constraints on Emplacement Rates of Intrusions in the Shallow Crust Based on Paleomagnetic Secular Variation

AbstractIn small‐volume igneous intrusions, the duration of magmatism can be difficult to determine because assembly of an intrusion from component magma pulses may occur within geochronologic uncertainties. We demonstrate that the paleomagnetic record of short‐term movement of the geomagnetic pole (secular variation) can place constraints on the duration of intrusion assembly over shorter time periods. An analysis of 14C data paired with paleomagnetic data from lava flows illustrates this approach. The flows record paleosecular variation that, when combined with the maximum rate of secular variation from the Holocene, returns a minimum time elapsed between any two flows. Data from an Oligocene laccolith indicate that this system records a minimum of 49° of secular variation and therefore took at least 750 years to be emplaced. High‐precision radiometric geochronology would be unable to resolve this assembly, suggesting that the paleosecular variation record in shallow igneous rocks contains valuable temporal constraints on upper crustal magmatism.

Paleomagnetism of the Mn wad deposit at Niimi hot springs, Hokkaido, Japan

The Niimi hot springs is located at the foot of Mt. Shyakunage in the active Niseko volcanic area, Hokkaido, Japan. The manganese (Mn) wad deposit was precipitated from the hot spring water by biomineralization processes. However, no precise direct age dates for the diagenesis of such Mn oxides have been reported. Here is reported the first paleomagnetic application to date Mn oxides on 144 disseminated Mn wad and 42 pyroclastic clay specimens. The Mn wad specimens were collected at 14 levels between ∼5.5 and ∼62 cm in thickness on a three-dimensional grid pattern, and the clay specimens were collected at seven levels between 85 and 118 cm in thickness. Alternating field step demagnetization isolates either one or two stable characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) components in the Mn wad specimens. The lower coercivity component resides in pseudosingle domain titanomagnetite and shows clustered ChRM directions at each sampling level. Conversely, the higher coercivity component resides in single domain titanomagnetite and shows more random directions. The higher coercivity component is likely carried by pyroclastic fragments that landed on the site. The remanent directions of the clay specimens reside in multidomain magnetite, are less stable, and show a scattered distribution. When the observed ChRM directions of the Mn wad specimens are compared with the paleosecular variation record from Lake Biwa in Japan, the Mn wad deposition records the secular variation and appears to have lasted at least ∼1600 years from ∼3.5 to ∼1.9 kyr BP.

Geomagnetic paleosecular variation record spanning from 40 to 20 ka – implications for the Mono Lake excursion from Black Sea sediments

The Mono Lake geomagnetic excursion, characterized by low paleointensity and excursional virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) positions at about 35 ka, has been cumulatively documented from global sites. However, the geomagnetic field geometry during this short-lived excursion is not conclusively described, since excursional directions are only sporadically reported. A full-vector paleosecular variation (PSV) record between 20 and 40 ka could be reconstructed from seven Black Sea sediment cores. The age models of these cores are based on radiocarbon dating and tephrochronology. Further age constrains were achieved by tuning ice rafted debris (IRD) counts and XRF logs (mainly Ca/Ti ratio) as climate proxies for Dansgaard–Oeschger (D–O) warming events, to the oxygen isotope record from Greenland ice cores (NGRIP). The PSV records of individual Black Sea cores were stacked by using 100-yr bins. At about 34.5 cal. ka BP, the Mono Lake excursion is evidenced in the stacked Black Sea PSV record by both a relative paleointensity (rPI) minimum and directional shifts. Associated VGPs from stacked Black Sea data migrated from Alaska, via the Tibetan Plateau and central Asia, to Greenland, performing a clockwise loop. This agrees with data recorded in the Wilson Creek Formation, USA., and Arctic core PS2644-5 from the Iceland Sea, suggesting a dominant dipole field. On the other hand, the Auckland lava flows, New Zealand, the Summer Lake, USA., and Arctic core ODP-919 yield distinct VGPs located in the central Pacific Ocean due to presumably non-dipole field. Finally, Black Sea sediments younger than the Mono Lake excursion recorded only normal secular variations.

A high-resolution paleosecular variation record from Black Sea sediments indicating fast directional changes associated with low field intensities during marine isotope stage (MIS) 4

A total of nine sediment cores recovered from the Archangelsky Ridge in the SE Black Sea were systematically subjected to intense paleo- and mineral magnetic analyses. Besides 16 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C ages available for another core from this area, dating was accomplished by correlation of short-term warming events during the last glacial monitored by high-resolution X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning as maxima in both Ca/Ti and K/Ti ratios in Black Sea sediments to the so-called ‘Dansgaard–Oeschger events’ recognized from Greenland ice cores. Thus, several hiatuses could be identified in the various cores during the last glacial/interglacial cycle. Finally, core sections documenting marine isotope stage (MIS) 4 at high resolution back to 69 ka were selected for detailed analyses. At 64.5 ka, according to obtained results from Black Sea sediments, the second deepest minimum in relative paleointensity during the past 69 ka occurred, with the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion at 41 ka being associated with the lowest field intensities. The field minimum during MIS 4 is associated with large declination swings beginning about 3 ka before the minimum. While a swing to 50°E is associated with steep inclinations (50–60°) according to the coring site at 42°N, the subsequent declination swing to 30°W is associated with shallow inclinations of down to 40°. Nevertheless, these large deviations from the direction of a geocentric axial dipole field (I=61°, D=0°) still can not yet be termed as ‘excursional’, since latitudes of corresponding virtual geomagnetic poles (VGP) only reach down to 51.5°N (120°E) and 61.5°N (75°W), respectively. However, these VGP positions at opposite sides of the globe are linked with VGP drift rates of up to 0.2° per year in between. These extreme secular variations might be the mid-latitude expression of a geomagnetic excursion with partly reversed inclinations found at several sites much further North in Arctic marine sediments between 69°N and 81°N. Thus, the pronounced intensity minimum at 64.5 ka and described directional variations might be the effect of a weak geomagnetic field with a multi-polar geometry in the middle of MIS 4.

Magnetic Anisotropy and the Paleosecular Variation Record in Stalagmites from Njirak Cave, East Java: The Effect of Detrital Magnetite Emplaced in Small Cavities by Flooding Events

Magnetic anisotropy and remanence were measured for 33 samples from the axis of two stalagmites from Njirak Cave in East Java. All 33 samples were stepwise demagnetized with alternating fields, but only 16 were stable enough to yield reliable characteristic remanence directions. These directions differ, especially in declination, from the present Earth’s field direction and agree for samples of about the same age from both stalagmites, suggesting that the Earth’s field at Njirak Cave maintained a declination averaging 23° and an inclination averaging −23° for most of the past 2,500 years. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility is high, averaging 5.8%. The minimum susceptibility axes are nearly horizontal with scattered declinations; whereas the maximum susceptibility axes tend to be steeply inclined (average inclination is 51°). This implies that the long axes of the mainly multi-domain magnetite grains tend to be steeply inclined (rather than horizontal, as expected if the magnetite were in horizontal detrital layers). We suggest that this is due to the magnetite being in flood-emplaced detritus adhering to the steeply-inclined sides of small (2 to 5 mm) cavities that cut across and are sealed off by the stalagmites’ horizontal calcite growth layers. Steeply inclined maximum susceptibility axes should help detect such stalagmites, whose quality of paleosecular variation record may be lowered by magnetite-bearing cavities.

First paleomagnetic results of mid‐ to late Holocene sediments from Lake Issyk‐Kul (Kyrgyzstan): Implications for paleosecular variation in central Asia

We present new paleomagnetic and rock magnetic data from mid and late Holocene sediments recovered in two gravity cores (C087 and C142a) from Lake Issyk‐Kul (central Asia), for which independent radiocarbon‐based age models are available. Our results indicate that sediments from core C087 are characterized by fine (pseudo single domain) magnetite grains and are reliable recorders of Holocene geomagnetic paleosecular variation (PSV) in central Asia, which is a region with poor data coverage. Similarity is found between the core C087 PSV record, which spans the last 5700 years, and the Lake Baikal PSV record, which is the only published Holocene central Asian PSV record of comparable length with an independent radiocarbon‐based chronology. Our new results represent a step forward in constructing a reference PSV curve for central Asia that can be used to date sedimentary sequences. These results can also be used to improve the reliability and accuracy of global geomagnetic field models. We have not been able to disentangle past environmental changes in the Lake Issyk‐Kul region based on rock magnetic properties, probably because the magnetite and hematite in the studied sediments have a mixed (fluvial and eolian) terrigenous origin.

A Holocene paleosecular variation record from the northwestern Barents Sea continental margin

A high-resolution paleomagnetic and rock magnetic study has been carried out on sediment cores collected in glaciomarine silty-clay sequences from the continental shelf and slope of the southern Storfjorden trough-mouth fan, on the northwestern Barents Sea continental margin. The Storfjorden sedimentary system was investigated during the SVAIS and EGLACOM cruises, when 10 gravity cores, with a variable length from 1.03 m to 6.41 m, were retrieved. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C analyses on 24 samples indicate that the cores span a time interval that includes the Holocene, the last deglaciation phase and in some cores the last glacial maximum. The sediments carry a well-defined characteristic remanent magnetization and have a valuable potential to reconstruct the paleosecular variation (PSV) of the geomagnetic field, including relative paleointensity (RPI) variations. The paleomagnetic data allow reconstruction of past dynamics and amplitude of the geomagnetic field variations at high northern latitudes (75°–76° N). At the same time, the rock magnetic and paleomagnetic data allow a high-resolution correlation of the sedimentary sequences and a refinement of their preliminary age models. The Holocene PSV and RPI records appear particularly sound, since they are consistent between cores and they can be correlated to the closest regional stacking curves (UK PSV, FENNOSTACK and FENNORPIS) and global geomagnetic model for the last 7 ka (CALS7k.2). The computed amplitude of secular variation is lower than that outlined by some geomagnetic field models, suggesting that it has been almost independent from latitude during the Holocene.

New detailed paleosecular variation record at Santa Lucía archaeological site (Corrientes province, northeastern Argentina)

Se reporta información paleomagnética de una sección sedimentaria del sitio arqueológico San­ ta Lucía, provincia de Corrientes (Nordeste de Argentina). El magnetismo remanente natural obtenido en 74 especimenes orientados mostró una remanencia magnética normal e interme­ dia con bajos valores negativos y positivos de inclinación durante el Holoceno tardío. La mag­netización remanente característica fue determi­nada por desmagnetización progresiva utilizando campos alternos. Los polos geomagnéticos vir­tuales muestran algunas coincidencias con los registrados durante el Pleistoceno Terminal y Holoceno en otros sitos del cono sur de Suda­mérica. Los polos paleomagnéticos calculados con sitios del nordeste de Argentina se localizan ~3­15° alejados del eje de rotación de la Tierra.

Paleosecular variations recorded by Holocene-Pleistocene sediments from Lake El Trébol (Patagonia, Argentina)

Paleomagnetic studies carried out on six cores from the bottom sediments from lake El Trébol, South Argentina are described. Measurements of directions declination and inclination ( D and I) and intensity of natural remanent magnetisation (NRM), magnetic susceptibility at low and high frequency (specific, X and volumetric, k), isothermal remanent magnetisation (IRM), saturation isothermal remanent magnetisation (SIRM), back field and anhysteric remanent magnetisation (ARM) were carried out. Stability of the NRM was investigated by alternating-field demagnetisation. Rock magnetic studies suggest that the main carriers of magnetisation are ferrimagnetic minerals, predominantly pseudo single domain magnetite. Records of NRM and k show a good correlation with the sedimentological description, and also with those of shorter cores previously studied. The tephra layers were identified from the lithologic profiles and also from the magnetic susceptibility logs. Due to their different chronological meaning and their rather bad behaviour as magnetic recorder, these layers were removed from the sequence and the gaps that were produced along the profiles by the removal were closed, obtaining a shortened depth. Radiocarbon age estimates from these cores and from earlier studies allow us to construct a paleosecular variation (PSV) record for the past 24,000 years. These results show good correlation with the previous one. The spectrum obtained from spectral analysis shows major peaks at periodicities of about 1150, 1500, 2490, 3630, 5240 and 11,810 years. Both clockwise and counterclockwise precession of the geomagnetic vector is evident from analysis of the Bauer plots, with a preponderance of clockwise movement.

Very high resolution paleosecular variation record for the last ∼1200 years from the Aral Sea

A record of geomagnetic paleosecular variation (PSV) spanning the last ∼1200 years has been obtained from two lacustrine sediment cores from the north part of Aral Sea (Kazakhstan). Magnetic susceptibility and NRM intensity have been used for correlating between cores and reconstructing composite core data. The main swings and fine details of declination and inclination records correlate well between both cores. A very high sedimentation rate (up to 25 mm per year) due to recent tectonic activity of the region provides a very high resolution PSV record for the interval from 450 ± 100 years BP to 655 ± 65 years BP. The results which have been dated by eight AMS radiocarbon age determinations, suggest that a 200–400 years secular variation period with amplitudes in declination and inclination up to 10–15° existed regularly during the time interval 0–1200 BP. Amplitudes of the PSV record from Aral Sea are not reduced and smoothed by postdetrital magnetization processes. They adjoin to the historical data model and are considered to represent a reliable paleosecular variation record for the Aral Sea region for the last ∼1200 years.

Paleomagnetic secular variation at Vulcano (Aeolian Islands) during the last 135 kyr

Paleosecular variation (PSV) of the Earth’s magnetic field during the last 135 kyr has been investigated in lavas, scoriae and pyroclastic rocks of Vulcano (Aeolian Islands). About 1000 samples have been collected at 77 sites from 25 distinct volcanic units, whose age is either known from published isotopical data or constrained on the grounds of statigraphical relationships. Magnetic mineralogy investigation shows that Ti-magnetite is the main ferromagnetic mineral. At most sites, secondary magnetization components are either absent or easily removed by stepwise thermal or alternating field demagnetization. The mean site direction of the characteristic remanent magnetization is usually well-defined, since the semi-angle of confidence is greater than 5° at only four sites. The mean paleomagnetic direction over the last 135 kyr (D=9.4°, I=53.2°, α95=3.5°) differs from the geocentric axial dipole (GAD) at Vulcano (D=0°, I=57.8°) and might be interpreted as the effect of a long-term, non-axial-dipolar component. The PSV record from Vulcano agrees well with those from the lacustrine sediments of Lago Grande di Monticchio (100 kyr BP) and Lago di Mezzano (30 kyr BP), located in the Italian peninsula [Brandt et al., Quat. Sci. Rev. 18 (1999) 961–976]. The inclination anomaly ΔI found at Vulcano corresponds to about half of the shallowing observed in the sediments of the two lakes and the declination anomaly ΔD may be used to tie the declination values, derived from azimuthally unoriented cores, to the geographical reference system. In order to find the optimum site to be used as reference for PSV studies in Italy, the angular values of the Earth’s magnetic field measured at the 113 repeat stations of the Italian Geomagnetic Network [Coticchia et al., Boll. Geod. Sci. Aff. 40 (2001) 277–291] have been analyzed with the relocation via pole method [Noel and Batt, Geophys. J. Int. 102 (1990) 753–756]. The Viterbo station (lat. 42°27′N, long. 12°02′E) proved the best, since the mean error is 0.3° for both declination and inclination, wherever the original PSV site is located in Italy. A preliminary, composite PSV curve for the last 30 kyr BP is thus proposed, merging and relocating to Viterbo the data from Vulcano and the curve from Lago di Mezzano, corrected for the GAD deviation found at Vulcano.

Paleosecular variation record of geomagnetic full vector during late Miocene, from the Nayarit area, Mexico

Abstract We have sampled a sequence of 45 late Miocene consecutive lava flows in the Tepic area (Nayarit State, Mexico). The age of the volcanic units lies between 8 and 9 million years (Ma) according to available radiometric data. All samples were stepwise demagnetized, partly with alternating field (AF), partly thermally with very similar results. Most of the rocks exhibited well-defined one component remanent magnetisation with high unblocking temperatures (mostly above 525 °C) and high median destructive fields (MDF) (40–50 mT). Rock-magnetic experiments combined with microscopy show that, in most cases, the main magnetic mineral is Ti-poor titanomagnetite associated with exsoluted ilmenite. Continuous susceptibility measurements with temperature and hysteresis experiments yield in most cases nearly reversible curves with Curie points close to that of magnetite and pseudo-single-domain characteristics. Characteristic remanent magnetisations (ChRM) isolated after the first steps of demagnetisation are all normal polarity. According to the dispersion of virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) directions, paleosecular variation was abnormally lower than the one observed in general during Miocene. Considering our paleomagnetic results together with available radiometric data, it seems that the volcanic units have been emplaced during a very short time span of about 0.08 million years. The mean paleomagnetic directions obtained from this study do not differ significantly from that expected for the middle Miocene. Thirty-one samples from eight individual flows yielded acceptable paleointensity estimates. The site mean paleointensities range from 27.8±0.9 to 42.0±7.9 μT. The virtual dipole moments (VDM) range from 5.9 to 9.5×1022 Am2. This corresponds to a mean value of 7.6±1.4×1022 Am2, which is higher than the average VDM value for late Miocene. Altogether our data suggest the existence of relatively high geomagnetic field strength undergoing low fluctuations. These results support the theoretical suggestion about an inverse relationship between secular variation and local field strength as result of electromagnetic coupling between the solid inner core and liquid outer core, with the inner core tending to stabilise core convection, and hence the field, when intensity is high. Some fluctuation of absolute intensity was detected within the same directional group (DG) indicating that the intensity of the geomagnetic field varies faster than its direction.

Pseudopaleosecular variation due to remanence anisotropy in a pyroclastic flow succession

In order to check the reliability of a paleosecular variation record in a sequence of pyroclastic rocks (Miocene, Sardinia), we measured various types of anisotropy: magnetic susceptibility (AMS), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (AARM) and thermoremanent magnetization (ATRM). The main magnetic carrier is pseudo‐single domain titanomagnetite. No general relation appears between the degrees of AMS and AARM, while the degrees of AARM and ATRM are almost identical. Measuring the AARM thus provides a fast and reliable method to correct paleomagnetic deviation in volcanic rocks. Once corrected for anisotropy deviation the apparent scatter of the paleomagnetic directions, mostly on inclination, is drastically reduced.

A Holocene paleosecular variation record from 14C‐dated volcanic rocks in western North America

A paleosecular variation (PSV) curve for western North America is presented on the basis of 94 virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) from dated volcanic rocks sampled at 446 sites. Approximately 60% of the paleomagnetic database has been previously published. A curve defined by “spherical smoothed splines” is fitted to the VGPs, ranked by the quality of the age determinations, where the data density is highest between 3690 and −30 years before present (B.P.) (A.D. 1950), between 7800 and 7050 years B.P., and between 14,060 and 12,700 years B.P. The younger segments of the curve derived from volcanic rocks are similar but less complex than other high‐resolution PSV curves derived from lacustrine sediments, particularly the record at Fish Lake, Oregon. The PSV record from lava flows (PSVL), however, is perhaps more reliable in its general shape and chronology because of the higher fidelity of volcanic rocks as magnetic field recorders and because of the greater density of 14C dates. The new PSVL record provides a partial Holocene master curve for western North America and will be of particular value in dating geological and archeological materials using paleomagnetic directions.

The Holocene paleosecular variation record from Elk Lake, Minnesota

The paleosecular variation record of the geomagnetic field from Elk Lake, Minnesota, is presented and its implications are discussed. The Elk Lake record is compiled from measurements of four parallel cores with a 2 cm sampling interval (≈15 years). Time control is provided by radiocarbon dates and by annual laminations (varves) in the sediment. Stratigraphic control is provided by the annual laminations and by fine scale (2–5 cm) variations in magnetic susceptibility. The varve chronology provides improved time control for the central North American paleosecular variation record back to about 4000 years. The results of this study largely confirm the results of Lund and Banerjee from Lake St. Croix and Kylen Lake and demonstrate the general utility of Holocene sediment paleomagnetic records. Differences between the records appear to be due to experimental procedure so minimal procedures are recommended for future work. Comparison of North American and European records suggests that two drifting, non‐dipole sources, one having its advent during the last 5000 years, can account for much of the secular variation.