Intermediate field directions recorded in Pliocene basalts in Styria (Austria): evidence for cryptochron C2r.2r-1

Pliocene volcanic rocks from south-east Austria were paleomagnetically investigated. Samples were taken from 28 sites located on eight different volcanoes. Rock magnetic investigations revealed that magnetic carriers are Ti-rich or Ti-poor titanomagnetites with mainly pseudo-single-domain characteristics. Characteristic remanent magnetization directions were obtained from alternating field as well as from thermal demagnetization. Four localities give reversed directions agreeing with the expected direction from secular variation. Another four localities of the Klöch–Königsberg volcanic complex (3) and the Neuhaus volcano (1) have reversed directions with shallow inclinations and declinations of about 240° while the locality Steinberg yields a positive inclination of about 30° and 200° declination. These aberrant directions cannot be explained by local or regional tectonic movements. All virtual geomagnetic pole positions are located on the southern hemisphere. Four virtual geomagnetic poles lie close to the geographic pole, while all others are concentrated in a narrow longitude sector offshore South America (310°–355°) with low virtual geomagnetic pole latitudes ranging from − 15° to − 70°. The hypothesis that a transitional geomagnetic field configuration was recorded during the short volcanic activity of these five localities is supported by 9 paleointensity results and 39Ar/40Ar dating. Virtual geomagnetic dipole moments range from 1.1 to 2.9·1022 Am2 for sites with low VGP latitudes below about 60° and from 3.0 to 9.3·1022 Am2 for sites with higher virtual geomagnetic pole latitudes. The new 39Ar/40Ar ages of 2.51 ± 0.27 Ma for Klöch and 2.39 ± 0.03 Ma for Steinberg allow for the correlation of the Styrian transitional directions with cryptochron C2r.2r-1 of the geomagnetic polarity time scale. Graphic abstract

Intermediate Field Directions Recorded in Pliocene Basalts in Styria (Austria): Evidence for Cryptochron C2r.2r-1

Pliocene volcanic rocks from South-East-Austria were paleomagnetically investigated. Samples were taken from 28 sites located on eight different volcanoes. Rock magnetic investigations revealed that magnetic carriers are Ti-rich or Ti-poor titanomagnetites with mainly pseudo-single-domain grain size. Characteristic remanent magnetization directions were obtained from alternating field as well as from thermal demagnetization. Four localities give reversed directions agreeing with the expected direction from secular variation. Another four localities of the Klöch-Königsberg volcanic complex (3) and the Neuhaus volcano (1) have reversed directions with shallow inclinations and declinations of about 240° while the locality Steinberg yields a positive inclination of about 30° and 200° declination. These aberrant directions cannot be explained by local or regional tectonic movements. All virtual geomagnetic pole positions are located on the southern hemisphere. Four virtual geomagnetic poles lie close to the geographic pole, while all others are concentrated in a narrow longitude sector offshore South America (310° to 355°) with low virtual geomagnetic pole latitudes ranging from − 15° to -70°. The hypothesis that a transitional geomagnetic field configuration was recorded during the short volcanic activity of these five localities is supported by 9 paleointensity results and 39Ar/40Ar dating. Virtual geomagnetic dipole moments range from 1.1 to 2.9·1022 Am2 for sites with low VGP latitudes about 60° and from 3.0 to 9.3·1022 Am2 for sites with higher virtual geomagnetic pole latitudes. The new 39Ar/40Ar ages of 2.51 ± 0.27 Ma for Klöch and 2.39 ± 0.03 Ma for Steinberg allow for the correlation of the Styrian transitional directions with cryptochron C2r.2r-1 of the geomagnetic polarity time scale.

Paleomagnetism of Permian-Triassic volcanic sequences from Son La province, northwest Vietnam

Nineteen sites with 198 oriented-core samples have been collected from the Upper Permian-Lower Triassic volcanic rocks of Vien Nam Formation at Quynh Nhai locality, Son La Province, northwestern Vietnam. The characteristic remanent magnetization components carried by magnetite and hematite were successfully isolated from secondary components reveal a mean paleomagnetic direction Ds = 48.3°, Is = -10.0°, a95 = 8.0°, corresponding to a virtual geomagnetic pole located at l = 35.7°N, f = 217.4°E and a paleo-latitude of study area situated at 5.1°S during the Permian time. Compared with the Late Permian-Early Triassic pole of the South China Block (SCB), the data show that crustal elements of NW Vietnam have been close to, but not unequivocally a coherent part of the SCB, since the Late Permian. Development of the parallel NW-SE striking Song Ma and Song Chay orogenic belts did not involve the closure of wide (> 500 km) ocean basins.

Paleomagnetism of Permian-Triassic volcanic sequences from Son La province, northwest Vietnam

Nineteen sites with 198 oriented-core samples have been collected from the Upper Permian-Lower Triassic volcanic rocks of Vien Nam Formation at Quynh Nhai locality, Son La Province, northwestern Vietnam. The characteristic remanent magnetization components carried by magnetite and hematite were successfully isolated from secondary components reveal a mean paleomagnetic direction Ds = 48.3°, Is = -10.0°, a95 = 8.0°, corresponding to a virtual geomagnetic pole located at l = 35.7°N, f = 217.4°E and a paleo-latitude of study area situated at 5.1°S during the Permian time. Compared with the Late Permian-Early Triassic pole of the South China Block (SCB), the data show that crustal elements of NW Vietnam have been close to, but not unequivocally a coherent part of the SCB, since the Late Permian. Development of the parallel NW-SE striking Song Ma and Song Chay orogenic belts did not involve the closure of wide (> 500 km) ocean basins.

Geochronological and paleomagnetic studies of small carbonatite intrusions of the Udzha uplift (Tomtor massif, northeast of the Siberian platform)

<p>Paleomagnetic data obtained from Neoproterozoic glacial and glacier-associated sedimentary rocks indicate that they were formed at near equatorial latitudes. Based on these data, the Snowball Earth hypothesis was proposed [Kirschvink, 1992]. According to this hypothesis, during the Neoproterozoic glaciations, the entire planet (including the oceans) was completely covered with ice. Although evidence is emerging that does not support this hypothesis, there is still no conclusive evidence that it is not true [Sansjofre et al., 2011].</p><p>It is worth noting that the Snowball earth hypothesis is based on paleomagnetic data. At the same time, the available paleomagnetic data for the Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian [Meert, Van der Voo, 2001; Shatsillo et al, 2005; Abrajevitch, Van der Voo, 2010; Pavlov et al., 2018] difficult to interpret in terms of the Geocentric Axial Dipole hypothesis. This imposes serious restrictions on the possibility of correctly constructing paleomagnetic reconstructions.</p><p>For the development and testing of a model of the geomagnetic field of the Neoproterozoic, it is necessary to obtain a lot of high-quality paleomagnetic data. Data from well-dated magmatic bodies are especially valuable.</p><p>Within the framework of this work, we obtained paleomagnetic data from three carbonatite dikes (7 to 30 cm thickness) exposed in the Udzha river bank on the Udzha uplift in the northeastern part of the Siberian platform. These dikes are associated with the large alkaline Tomtor massif located 15 km to the west. Ar/Ar dating of phlogopite megacrysts gives an intrusion age of the dikes of 706.1±8.8 Ma. Coordinates of the virtual geomagnetic pole, calculated from the direction of the high-temperature component of magnetization: Φ=-20.7°; Λ=88.6°; Α95=3.4°.</p><p>Our report will present preliminary interpretation of these data, as well as their comparison with paleomagnetic data on close-aged objects in Siberia.</p><p><em>The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant (19-77-10048).</em></p><p>References:</p>

Great circle analysis of South American VGP-distributions suggests widespread Cretaceous remagnetizations: case study of the Itararé Group Rocks from Brazil

<p>South American Jurassic/Cretaceous rocks has been troubled by elongated virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) distributions, while many discordant poles from the Carboniferous to the Triassic have also been recognized, rendering the South American apparent polar wonder path (APWP) problematic. </p><p>We have conducted a paleomagnetic study of the sedimentary Permo-Carboniferous Itararé Group rocks within the state of São Paulo, Brazil, including three intruding mafic sills that are attributed to Early Cretaceus magmatic activity. The site-mean VGP distributions obtained from the sedimentary rocks define elongations that include the VGPs of the mafic intrusions, and are interpreted as remagnetization paths toward the directions characteristic of the sills. These interpretations are supported by extensive rock-magnetic data that provide a viable mechanism for the secondary magnetizations. Careful analysis of the paleomagnetic data of the sedimentary rocks enables isolation of a primary VGP distribution that is consistent with the reference Carboniferous pole position.</p><p>Analysis of other Carboniferous to Triassic South American paleomagnetic VGPs reveals that the majority of these data are also elongated: regardless of the age of the rocks, the elongations dominantly intersect at the location of the Late Cretaceous reference pole, and a second location similar to the intersection of the VGP elongations of some Jurassic/Cretaceous rock formations, and also coincides with the cusp of the debated loop in the Carboniferous-Triassic APWP. Based on multiple lines of evidence, we interpret the elongations and their intersections to reflect remagnetizations that occurred as a result of the widespread magmatism associated with the opening of the South Atlantic. We suggest that the extent of the remagnetizations is formation-specific, and that other rock-formations should be carefully re-evaluated.</p>

Amplitude of paleosecular variations during the Cretaceous superchron: Okhotsk-Chukotka Volcanic Belt, high latitudes

<p>Studying of paleosecular variations (PSV) over geological time allows us to characterize not only the behavior and evolution of the geomagnetic field, but also to estimate the rate of formation of large igneous provinces (LIP). In order to use this paleomagnetic tool, the amplitude of paleosecular variations during the corresponding time interval has to be known, but for the end of the Cretaceous superchron, in particular for high latitudes, such the data sets are extremely small. Our study is aimed at obtaining a limit on the PSV amplitude for Late Cretaceous in order to use these data to estimate the rate of formation of the Okhotsk-Chukotka Volcanic Belt.</p><p>The formation of a paleomagnetic record in volcanic flows occurs by acquiring a thermal remanent magnetization (TRM) during their cooling below the Curie temperature of the magnetic minerals. Direction of this TRM can be used for calculation of the virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP), which characterizes the direction of the geomagnetic field at a given time and place. The angular dispersion of virtual geomagnetic poles (VGP scatter, Sb) is generally accepted as a measure of the paleosecular variations and uses to assess the duration of volcanic section formation. If the volcanic section was formed for a long time (more than 10 000 years), then the amplitude of the recorded geomagnetic variations will correspond to the expected dispersion for a given latitude. In the case of significantly higher eruption rates, the amplitude of the recorded PSV will be lower than it is predicted by the model for a given latitude.</p><p>During the 2019-2020 field seasons paleomagnetic studies were carried out on a number of Late Cretaceous volcanic sections of the Okhotsk-Chukotka Volcanic Belt located in the Bilibinsky District of the Chukotka Region. VGPs and their scatter were calculated for 79 flows of the Kupol object. Preliminary results show that the amplitude of PVS in the Cretaceous for high latitudes of the northern hemisphere was close to that for the last 5 million years (Sb=21.4, [19.0; 23.9]).</p><p>The work is supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant N 19-47-04110.</p>

A full sequence of the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the Chiba composite section, Central Japan

Geological records of the Matuyama–Brunhes (M–B) geomagnetic reversal facilitate the development of an age model for sedimentary and volcanic sequences and help decipher the dynamics of the Earth’s magnetic field. However, the structure of the geomagnetic field during the M–B geomagnetic reversal remains controversial due to its complex field behavior. In this study, we conducted paleo- and rock-magnetic analyses of samples from the Chiba composite section (CbCS), a continuous and expanded marine succession in Central Japan, to reconstruct the full sequence of the M–B geomagnetic reversal. We define an average stratigraphic position of the M–B boundary and estimate its age based on three sections in the CbCS and a neighboring drill core, TB-2. The average stratigraphic position of the M–B boundary in the CbCS is established at 1.1 ± 0.3 m above a widespread volcanic ash bed (the Byk-E tephra). Assuming a chronological error associated with orbital tuning of 5 kyr and stratigraphic uncertainty of 0.4 kyr, the M–B boundary in CbCS is at 772.9 ± 5.4 ka (1σ). The virtual geomagnetic pole, which is calculated from the paleomagnetic directions, shows several short fluctuations between 783 and 763 ka, with concomitant decreases in geomagnetic field intensity index. After termination of the field instabilities, the field intensity recovered and became higher than before the M–B boundary, with a stable normal polarity direction. The paleomagnetic records in the CbCS exhibit a field asymmetry between the axial dipole decay and field recovery, providing a full sequence of the M–B reversal, suggesting that the non-axial dipole field dominated several times during periods ca. 20 kyr long across the M–B boundary, due to depletion in the main axial dipole component. Our results provide probably the most detailed sedimentary record of the M–B geomagnetic reversal and offer valuable information to further understand the mechanism and dynamics of geomagnetic reversals. Graphical abstract

Paleointensity derived from igneous rocks of Kamchatka volcanoes of the Late Pleistocene-Holocene epoch

<p>This work is devoted to paleomagnetic studies of lava samples from three volcanoes of Kamchatka in order to define the age of lava flows and to obtain data of paleosecular variations of the geomagnetic field for the Kamchatka region. We studied 53 samples from 7 sites from lava flows of the Avachinsky, the Gorely and the Tolbachik volcanoes. The study of paleosecular variations recorded in the magnetization of the lava flows of volcanoes makes it possible to create a magnetochronological scale for epochs of the same polarity.</p><p>According to the data of electron microprobe and thermomagnetic analyzes, the magnetic properties of samples from the lava flows of the Avachinsky volcano are mainly determined by titanic magnetite with a Curie temperature Tc = (540-580) °С. The study of magnetic mineral grains using electron and magnetic force microscopy showed the presence of decay structures in grains, indicating the high-temperature oxidation of titanomagnetite. Ferrimagnetic grains of samples from the Gorely and Tolbachik volcanoes are represented by titanomagnetite with a Curie temperature Tc = (200–300) °C. According to the hysteresis characteristics, the magnetic structure of the grains corresponds to a single-domain and pseudo-single-domain state. Thermal and magnetic cleanings showed the predominance of one component in the NRM. The geomagnetic field intensity was determined by the Thellier method in the Coe modification.</p><p>It was found that the paleointensity value H<sub>anc</sub> = 55±3 μT, determined from the NRM of samples of the 2012 eruption from the Tolbachik volcano, differs from the modern magnetic field in the area of this volcano by the IGRF-12 model by only 4% (Н<sub>IGRF</sub> = 53 μT). This indicates the reliability of our methodology for determining paleointensity from the most stable part of the NRM of igneous rocks.</p><p>A comparison of the coordinates of the paleomagnetic pole (N 66º±4º, E 266º±5º) and the virtual dipole magnetic moment of the Earth (VDM = 8.3±0.9*10<sup>22</sup> A*m<sup>2</sup>) with data on variations of the geomagnetic field over the past 10,000 years [Burlatskaya, 2007; McElhinny, 1982] allows us to conclude that the investigated lava flow belongs to the historical eruptions of 1827. The coordinates of the virtual geomagnetic pole (N 83º±3º, E 254º±21º) and the value of VDM = 8.0±0.3*10<sup>22</sup> A*m<sup>2</sup> determined from the samples belonging to the second lava flow of the Avachinsky volcano indicate that rocks are formed in the result of the eruption, which occurred 5-5.5 thousand years ago.</p><p>It was revealed that the magnitude (H<sub>anc</sub> =65±5μT) and the direction of paleointensity determined by the NRM of the samples from Gorely volcano significantly differ from the characteristics of the modern magnetic field. The assumption is made that the studied samples belong to the outpouring of lava, which occurred about 2.7 thousand years ago, during the "Sterno-Etrussia" geomagnetic excursion.</p><p> </p><p>This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project 20-05-00573.</p>

Paleomagnetic study of basaltic rocks from Baengnyeong Island, Korea: efficiency of the Tsunakawa–Shaw paleointensity determination on non-SD-bearing materials and implication for the early Pliocene geomagnetic field intensity

Finding the statistical intensity signatures of the Earth’s magnetic field over geologic time has helped understanding of the evolution of the Earth’s interior and its interactions with other integral parts of Earth systems. However, this has been often hampered by a paucity of absolute paleointensity (API) data, which are difficult to obtain primarily because of non-ideal magnetic behaviors of natural materials. Here, we present new API determination data with paleodirectional and rock magnetic analyses from basaltic rocks probably aged ~ 4‒5 Ma in Baengnyeong Island, Korea. Paleodirectional analysis obtained an overall mean direction of D = 347.3° and I = 38.3° (α95 = 4.9°, k = 113.4) corresponding to a virtual geomagnetic pole at 342.1° E and 70.2° N. Comprehensive rock magnetic analyses identified Ti-poor titanomagnetite with, in part, multi-domain (MD) particles as a main carrier of remanent magnetization. The Tsunakawa–Shaw (TS) method yielded 12 qualified API estimates with a high success rate, efficiently removing possible MD influences, and resulted in a mean value of 13.1 μT with good precision (1.7 μT, standard deviation). The Thellier method of the IZZI protocol with pTRM checks, coupled with the use of a bootstrap approach instead of the “conventional best-fitting” in API determination, gave 6.6‒19.7 μT as a 95% confidence interval of its mean API estimate, which supports the reliability of our TS-derived API mean estimate; but it is not considered in the final mean value because of the relatively large uncertainty. The virtual dipole moment corresponding to the TS-derived API mean, 2.9 (± 0.4) × 1022 Am2, is somewhat lower than the expectations of the past few Myr averages. Combined with a global API database, our new data implies a larger dispersion in the dipole moment during the early Pliocene than previously inferred. This also suggests that the issue of whether the early Pliocene average dipole strength was moderately high (> 5 × 1022 Am2) or consistent (4‒5 × 1022 Am2) should be discussed further.