Determination of the paleointensity in the early proterozoic from granitoids of the Shumikhinskii complex of the Siberian craton

The extreme scarcity of data on the behavior of the paleointensity H _an in the geological past from rocks older than 400 Ma significantly hinders the development of our ideas of the geomagnetic field evolution and the geological history of the Earth as a planet. This work presents H _an determinations for the Early Proterozoic using the Thellier method and meeting modern requirements for their reliability. The data are obtained from 1850-Ma rocks of granite intrusions sampled in the south of the Siberian platform. The rocks are virtually unaltered granites and granitoids. The paleointensity was determined on 15 samples; results from 11 samples were found to be suitable for the calculation of H _an, which is good for experiments of this type. The common feature in the behavior of the natural remanent magnetization (NRM) is a very narrow interval of blocking temperatures: destruction of (60–90)% NRM often took place between 500 and 550°C. Because of the large thickness of the sampled magmatic body, the paleointensity estimates were corrected for its slow cooling rate. With regard for this correction, the probable value of the virtual dipole moment (VDM) from the given collection amounts to 5 × 10²² A m². Analysis of all published data obtained by the Thellier method for the Precambrian and satisfying the well-known minimal criteria of reliability showed that the average VDM value is about 2 × 10²² A m², which is four times smaller than the VDM value of the last million years. This phenomenon can be interpreted in terms of the hypothesis that the solid inner core formed only in Proterozoic and, in its absence, the generation of the geomagnetic field was relatively weak, which yielded a small intensity value of the geomagnetic field at early stages of the Earth’s evolution.     

Geomagnetic field paleointensity in the cretaceous from Upper Cretaceous rocks of Georgia

A representative collection of Upper Cretaceous rocks of Georgia (530 samples from 24 sites) is used for the study of magnetic properties of the rocks and the determination of the paleodirection and paleointensity (H _an) of the geomagnetic field. Titanomagnetites with Curie points of 200–350°C are shown to be carriers of natural remanent magnetization (NRM) preserving primary paleomagnetic information during heatings to 300–350°C. The characteristic NRM component of the samples is identified in the interval 120–350°C. The Thellier and Thellier-Coe methods are used for the determination of H _an meeting modern requirements on the reliability of such results. New paleointensity determinations are obtained and virtual dipole magnetic moment (VDM) values are calculated for four sites whose stratigraphic age is the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Campanian). It is shown that, in the interval 99.6–70.6 Ma, the VDM value was two or more times smaller than the present value, which agrees with the majority of H _an data available for this time period. According to our results, the H _an value did not change at the boundary of the Cretaceous normal superchron.     

Estimating the variations in paleointensity from the Siberian traps of Maymecha-Kotui and Norilsk regions

The results of determining the paleointensity of the Siberian traps sampled from the Kotui sequence, Truba ravine, Onkuchak Suite, and dated to Permian-Triassic are presented. Most of the H _anc values for separate lava flows are significantly lower than the values of the present geomagnetic field at the observation point (approximately 50 μT). This is consistent with the known conclusion that the intensity of the geomagnetic field at the Permian-Triassic boundary was lower by a factor of two to three lower than its present value. We carried out the comparative analysis of the behavior of H _an and VDM for two trap sequences (Kotui (the Onkuchak Suite) and Norilsk) from the standpoint of the eruptive pulse hypothesis. In both sections, the average VDM values and their dispersion are similar. For comparison, similar analysis of the VDM behavior is conducted for the Brunhes epoch and Miocene in the interval of 5–10 Ma. It is hypothesized that during the three considered periods, namely, the eruption of the Siberian traps, in the Brunhes epoch, and in Miocene (in the interval of 5–10 Ma), the time behavior of the geomagnetic field was close to a stationary stochastic process.     

Paleointensity in the Quaternary West Eifel volcanic field, Germany: preliminary results

Preliminary paleointensity results are presented from 36 sites with virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) latitudes of about 30–90° normal polarity in the Quaternary West Eifel volcanic field. A strong correlation between VGP latitude and the Earth's virtual magnetic dipole moment (VDM) is observed, with low intensities for low VGP latitudes indicating possibly an emplacement during an excursion or event of the Brunhes epoch. The age distribution of the West Eifel volcanics is, as yet, poorly known. Also, the mean VDM value for sites with high VGP latitudes is considerably lower than the present day dipole moment of the Earth.     

Paleointensity of the geomagnetic field in the Cretaceous (from Cretaceous rocks of Mongolia)

A representative collection of Cretaceous rocks of Mongolia is used for the study of the magnetic properties of the rocks and for determination of the paleodirections and paleointensities H _anc of the geomagnetic field. The characteristic NRM component in the samples is recognized in the temperature interval from 200 to 620–660°C. The values of H _anc are determined by the Thellier-Coe method with observance of all present-day requirements regarding the reliability of such kind of results. Comparison of data in the literature on paleointensity in the Cretaceous superchron and in the Miocene supports the hypothesis of the inverse correlation between the average intensity of the paleofield and the frequency of geomagnetic reversals. The increase in the average intensities is accompanied by an appreciable increase in the variance of the virtual dipole moment (VDM). We suggest that the visible increase in the average VDM value in the superchron is due to the greater variability of VDM in this period compared to the Miocene.     

The geomagnetic field at the Paleozoic/Mesozoic and Mesozoic/Cenozoic boundaries and lower mantle plumes

The data on the amplitude of variations in the direction and paleointensity of the geomagnetic field and the frequency of reversals throughout the last 50 Myr near the Paleozoic/Mesozoic and Mesozoic/Cenozoic boundaries, characterized by peaks of magmatic activity of Siberian and Deccan traps, and data on the amplitude of variations in the geomagnetic field direction relative to contemporary world magnetic anomalies are generalized. The boundaries of geological eras are not fixed in recorded paleointensity, polarity, reversal frequency, and variations in the geomagnetic field direction. Against the background of the “normal” field, nearly the same tendency of an increase in the amplitude of field direction variations is observed toward epicenters of contemporary lower mantle plumes; Greenland, Deccan, and Siberian superplumes; and world magnetic anomalies. This suggests a common origin of lower mantle plumes of various formation times, world magnetic anomalies, and the rise in the amplitude of geomagnetic field variations; i.e., all these phenomena are due to a local excitation in the upper part of the liquid core. Large plumes arise in intervals of the most significant changes in the paleointensity (drops or rises), while no correlation exists between the plume generation and the reversal frequency: times of plume formation correlate with the very diverse patterns of the frequency of reversals, from their total absence to maximum frequencies, implying that world magnetic anomalies, variations in the magnetic field direction and paleointensity, and plumes, on the one hand, and field reversals, on the other, have different sources. The time interval between magmatic activity of a plume at the Earth’s surface and its origination at the core-mantle boundary (the time of the plume rise toward the surface) amounts to 20–50 Myr in all cases considered. Different rise times are apparently associated with different paths of the plume rise, “delays” in the plume upward movement, and so on. The spread in “delay” times of each plume can be attributed to uncertainties in age determinations of paleomagnetic study objects and/or the natural remanent magnetization, but it is more probable that this is a result of the formation of a series of plumes (superplumes) in approximately the same region at the core-mantle boundary in the aforementioned time interval. Such an interpretation is supported by the existence of compact clusters of higher field direction amplitudes between 300 and 200 Ma that are possible regions of formation of world magnetic anomalies and plumes.     

On the intensity of the geomagnetic field in the geological past

A detailed analysis of the data on the intensity of the geomagnetic dipole and frequency of its reversals presented in the world’s paleointensity databases provided the arguments in favor of the hypothesis of the negative correlation between the average virtual dipole moment (VDM) and the frequency of the reversals on the interval from 5 Ma to 100 Ma ago. However, the statistical confidence level of this hypothesis is only 60–70%, which is far below 95%, the standard required confidence level of a hypothesis to be considered statistically reliable. At a high level of confidence (above 99%), the presence of a positive correlation between the mean value and variance of VDM for a number of intervals of stable polarity in the Cenozoic and Mesozoic is confirmed. This finding means that the distribution of VDM on these time intervals is certainly non-Gaussian and is rather described by the gamma- or lognormal law. At the same time, in contrast to the earlier intervals, the histogram of VDM for the Brunhes epoch is closer to the normal distribution. Compared our conclusions with the published results on the numerical modeling of the geodynamo, we found that they are consistent in terms of a probable negative correlation between the average VDM and reversal frequency, as well as the lack of correlation between the average VDM and the length of the interval of stable polarity.     

The intensity of the geomagnetic field at 3.5 Ga: paleointensity results from the Komati Formation, Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa

Paleointensity measurements have been carried out on 3.5 Ga samples from the Komati Formation type locality using both the Thellier and Van Zijl methods. These samples contain a single steeply-directed negative TRM component acquired during metamorphism of the Komati lavas. Thellier experiments yielded values ranging from 12 to 37 μT but an average paleofield intensity for the four best determinations is 20 ± 3 μT. A slightly lower average paleointensity of 15 ± 3 μT was obtained using Van Zijl experiments. Preheating was used to chemically stabilize seven samples used in Van Zijl determinations and these produced nearly ideal plots with an average paleointensity of 13 ± 2 μT. A single basaltic komatiite sample gave a nearly ideal Van Zijl plot indicating about 21 μT, nearly the same paleointensity as the peridotitic komatiite samples even though its NRM intensity was several orders of magnitude lower. Since the Komati characteristic remanence was acquired during a slow cooling, the data must be reduced by a factor of 1.55 to account for the difference between laboratory and natural cooling rates. Calculation of an equivalent equatorial paleointensity using the paleolatitude implied by the steep Komati characteristic remanence then gives value of 5 μT for the intensity of the geomagnetic field at 3.5 Ga, lower than the present value of about 30 μT.     

Paleointensity and paleodirection of the geomagnetic field in the middle Miocene: Evidence from late cenozoic volcanites of primorye

We present the results of analyzing a representative collection of the middle Miocene 12.4–10.0 Ma basalts that compose the volcanic cover of the Shufan and Sovgavan plateaus, namely the Nikolo-L’vovsk (NL) and Sovetskaya Gavan (SG) volcanic fields. Preliminary data are obtained about the relicts of some volcanic edifices within the West and East Sikhote-Alin volcanic belts, namely the Shishlovskii, Malyshevo, and Truzhenik objects. It is established that the volcanic rocks from these localities are characterized by similar petrologic and magnetic properties. Thermal cleaning of the samples is carried out, and the coordinates of the paleomagnetic pole are determined as Λ = 190.2°E, Φ = 71.3°N for basalts of the Nokolo-L’vovsk area and Λ = 180.4°E, Φ = 71.9°N for rocks from the Sovgavan locality. These values are consistent with the data for coeval volcanics from other regions of Eurasia. Reliable determinations of the paleointensity H _pal for a representative collection of samples were obtained using the Thellier method. The corresponding values of the virtual dipole moment (VDM) are almost half its present-day value. The analysis of the Miocene VDM values available from the world database revealed a low average field 5.06 × 10²² Am² characterized by high variance σ = 2.13 × 10²² Am² at that time. The similarity of VDM values for the Miocene characterized by frequent inversions and for the Cretaceous Superchron supports the hypothesis of the lack of a correlation between the VDM values and the frequency of geomagnetic inversions.     

Absolute paleointensities recorded during the Brunhes chron at La Guadeloupe Island

Ten absolute paleointensity determinations within the Brunhes chron have been obtained on andesitic lava flows from La Guadeloupe Island, French West Indies (F.W.I.). The Thellier and Thellier method performed on 124 specimens under either ambient or argon atmosphere allows reliable determinations from high temperature steps. A satisfactory within flow reproducibility has been observed and at least two samples for each flow have been used for calculation of the weighted-mean paleointensity. The average virtual axial dipole moment (VADM=7.1±1.8×10²² A m²) for normal polarity flows from the Brunhes chron recorded at La Guadeloupe is compatible with the historical field. The 10 VADM values obtained show a relatively good agreement with the deep-sea composite record (SINT800) of relative paleointensity. Focusing on the 100–75 ka interval, a 20-ka oscillation observed from a compilation of available volcanic data and present in high-resolution sedimentary records has been tentatively related to the axial dipole moment variations. Finally, a paleointensity decrease of a factor of 10 is observed for flows emitted during the Matuyama–Brunhes (M–B) transition, as already observed in other records of this reversal. Because a large area of the Globe around the Caribbean Islands was previously devoid of data, the present dataset fills a gap towards construction of a global paleointensity database for the Brunhes chron.     

Paleomagnetic studies and estimation of geomagnetic paleointensity at the early/middle Riphean boundary in rocks of the Salmi Formation (North Ladoga area)

The territory of Karelia (Baltic Shield) is virtually not represented in the global paleomagnetic database for the Lower Riphean time interval (1650—1350 Ma). As regards the paleointensity H _an, the huge interval 1–2 Ga in length is represented in the global paleointensity database by only eight determinations concentrated in the interval 1–1.35 Ga. The paper presents results of paleomagnetic studies of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks composing the Early Riphean Salmi Formation, which outcrops in the valley of the lower Tulemaioki River in the northern coast area of Lake Ladoga. Results of the study indicate that, in the Early Riphean time, the East European craton was located in the tropical region of the Southern Hemisphere between 15° S and 40° S. The inferred value of H _an is close to the lower boundary of the interval (1.36–11.56) × 10²² A m², encompassing previously published intensity values of the paleofield 1–1.35 Ga; this supports the hypothesis on the existence of long intervals of a lower field in the period in question [Maquoin et al., 2003].     

An estimate of late Pleistocene geomagnetic intensity variation from Sulu Sea sediments

Sediments from Site 769 of the Ocean Drilling Program's Leg 124 provide a record of geomagnetic intensity variation over the past 110 ky. Using continous shipboard measurements exclusively, I estimate the variation in the geomagnetic field strength by employing low-field magnetic susceptibility as a normalization parameter for the measured remanence intensity. By calibrating the resultant relative paleointensity record against previously available Holocene age estimates of absolute paleointensity, I derive an estimate of virtual dipole moment since 110 ka. The record obtained from these Sulu Sea sediments is strikingly like that previously obtained from sediments of a similar age in the Mediterranean Basin with distinct intervals of low intensity near 15, 20, 40 and 65–70 ka. The Sulu sediments also indicate a low-intensity feature near 108 ka. Important differences in paleointensity estimates obtained from these different regions for the interval between 30 and 20 ka suggest that a relatively large non-dipolar component of the geomagnetic field might have been present at that time.     

Paleointensity determination on Neoarchaean dikes within the Vodlozerskii terrane of the Karelian craton

The results of paleomagnetic studies and paleointensity determinations from two Neoarchaean Shala dikes with an age of ~2504 Ma, located within the Vodlozerskii terrane of the Karelian craton, are presented. The characteristic components of primary magnetization with shallow inclinations I = ?5.7 and 1.9 are revealed; the reliability of the determinations is supported by two contact tests. High paleointensity values are obtained by the Thellier–Coe and Wilson techniques. The calculated values of the virtual dipole moment (11.5 and 13.8) × 10²² A m² are noticeably higher than the present value of 7.8 × 10²² A m². Our results, in combination with the previous data presented in the world database, support the hypothesized existence of a period of high paleointensity in the Late Archaean–Early Proterozoic.     

Geomagnetic Field Variations as Determined from Bulgarian Archaeomagnetic Data. Part II: The Last 8000 Years

The knowledge about past secular variations of the geomagnetic field is achieved on the basis of archaeomagnetic researches of which the Bulgarian studies form an extended data set. In Part I (Kovacheva and Toshkov, 1994), the methodology used in the Sofia palaeomagnetic laboratory was described and the secular variation curves for the last 2000 years were shown. In Part II (this paper), the basic characteristics of the prehistoric materials used in the archaeomagnetic studies are emphasised, particularly in the context of the rock magnetic studies used in connection with palaeointensity determinations. The results of magnetic anisotropy studies of the prehistoric ovens and other fired structures are summarised, including the anisotropy correction of the palaeointensity results for prehistoric materials, different from bricks and pottery. Curves of the direction and intensity of the geomagnetic field during the last 8000 years in Bulgaria are given. The available directional and intensity values have been used to calculate the variation curve of the virtual dipole moment (VDM) for the last 8000 years based on different time interval averages. The path of virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) positions is discussed.     

Absolute geomagnetic paleointensity as recorded by ∼1.09 Ga Lake Shore Traps (Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan)

Absolute geomagnetic paleointensity measurements were made on 255 samples from 38 lava flows of the ～1.09 Ga Lake Shore Traps exposed on the Keweenaw Peninsula (Michigan, USA). Samples from the lava flows yield a well-defined characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) component within a ～375°C–590°C unblocking temperature range. Detailed rock magnetic analyses indicate that the ChRM is carried by nearly stoichiometric pseudo-single-domain magnetite and/or low-Ti titanomagnetite. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that the (titano)magnetite is present in the form of fine intergrowths with ilmenite, formed by oxyexsolution during initial cooling. Paleointensity values were determined using the Thellier double-heating method supplemented by low-temperature demagnetization in order to reduce the effect of magnetic remanence carried by large pseudosingle-domain and multidomain grains. One hundred and two samples from twenty independent cooling units meet our paleointensity reliability criteria and yield consistent paleofield values with a mean value of 26.3 ± 4.7μT, which corresponds to a virtual dipole moment of 5.9 ± 1.1×10²² Am². The mean and range of paleofield values are similar to those of the recent Earth’s magnetic field and incompatible with a “Proterozoic dipole low”. These results are consistent with a stable compositionally-driven geodynamo operating by the end of Mesoproterozoic.     

Direction and relative paleointensity of the geomagnetic field in the middle and later pleistocene from paleomagnetic data of the Roxolany section (Ukraine)

The lower part of the Roxolany section (Ukraine) is studied, and paleomagnetic and petromagnetic characteristics of rock samples are obtained for the time interval 300-75 ka. Detailed curves of variations in angular parameters of the geomagnetic field are constructed in the entire time interval, and curves of variations in the relative paleointensity are obtained for the interval 300-180 ka. Using the values of the angular parameters and the deviations of the virtual geomagnetic pole from the position of the stationary field, anomalous directions compatible with the Jamaica excursion are identified in the intervals 250-249 and 221-220 ka. The geomagnetic field evolution is studied by methods of wavelet analysis, and the field generation process is shown to vary in the interval 300-180 ka.     

Paleointensity Behavior and Intervals Between Geomagnetic Reversals in the Last 167 Ma

The results of comparative analysis of the behavior of paleointensity and polarity (intervals between reversals) of the geomagnetic field for the last 167 Ma are presented. Similarities and differences in the behavior of these characteristics of the geomagnetic field are discussed. It is shown that bursts of paleointensity and long intervals between reversals occurred at high mean values of paleointensity in the Cretaceous and Paleogene. However, there are differences between the paleointensity behavior and the reversal regime: (1) the characteristic times of paleointensity variations are less than the characteristic times of the frequency of geomagnetic reversals, (2) the achievement of maximum values of paleointensity at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary and the termination of paleointensity bursts after the boundary of 45–40 Ma are not marked by explicit features in the geomagnetic polarity behavior.     

Geomagnetic field intensity from Kilauea 1955 and 1960 lava flows: Towards a better understanding of paleointensity

The record of the Earth’s magnetic field intensity during the past (paleointensity) carries important information about the geodynamo and the state of the Earth’s interior that is not contained in the record of its paleodirection. To determine what the critical factors in obtaining reliable estimate of paleointensity are, we present new results of a paleointensity study of the 1955 and 1960 Kilauea volcano lava flows, from the Big Island of Hawaii. Rock magnetic measurements on representative hand samples from each flow in conjunction with reflected light microscopy observations show the primary carriers of remanence to be pseudo-single domain titanomagnetite with various titanium contents. Paleointensity samples (small fragments previously embedded into salt pellets) were subjected to the Thellier-Coe experimental procedure. Fourteen temperature steps were distributed over the entire temperature range used (ambient temperature to 570°C). Control heating steps (commonly referred to as partial thermo-remanent magnetization — pTRM checks) were also conducted each third double heating step. Mean field intensity value (36.6 ± 0.7 μT) retrieved from 3 reliable site mean determinations reproduces the expected value within 1.1%. With the knowledge of the rock magnetic characteristics of the samples and the strength of the geomagnetic field during cooling of the lava, our investigation suggests that the Hawaiian lavas can faithfully record the local geomagnetic field and confirms that the Thellier-Coe type techniques are suitable on historical lava flows to yield reliable absolute paleointensity determinations. The variations in direct field measurements and in lab paleofield determinations may reflect local heterogeneities of the lava or influence of very local field anomalies due to the volcanic underlying terrain. These results underscore the importance that a better understanding of intensity results of historical lava flows is still required if reliable paleointensity determinations of older periods, for which we do not know the answer, are sought.     

Comparison of the Brunhes epoch geomagnetic secular variation recorded in the volcanic and sedimentary rocks

The results of numerical modeling of the geomagnetic secular variation by the method of the Giant Gaussian Process (GGP) are presented and compared with the information derived from the presentday databases for paleointensity. The variances of the positions of the virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) calculated from the synthetic and experimental data (Brunhes epoch, effusive rocks) are nearly similar, which supports the validity of the theoretical model. The average value of the virtual axial geomagnetic dipole (VADM) calculated from the PINT world database on paleointensity and the Sint-2000 model is lower than VADM calculated by the GGP model; at the same time, the estimates based on the archaeomagnetic data give the VADM value slightly above the model prediction. The largest difference is observed in the variances of VADM, which is for all the three databases noticeably higher than the value calculated from the GGP model. Most probably, this is due to the contribution of the neglected measurement errors of VADM.     

Geomagnetic field variations as determined from bulgarian archaeomagnetic data

The archaeomagnetic determinations obtained from the collections of archaeological materials, dated in the last 2000 years are summarized. The review describes the materials used, the methodology applied, the local database organization, the principles of data processing and smoothing procedures. Errors evaluation at different levels of analysis of the experimental results are described. Special attention is paid to the archaeointensity determinations. Some rock magnetic properties studied in connection with the difficulties in the Thellier method are summarised. The curves of geomagnetic field elements variations for the last 2000 years for Bulgaria are shown. The Bauer plots, VGP path and VDM curve are also discussed, the latter confirming the general decrease in the strength of the geomagnetic field from the beginning of this era to the present. Westward drift of the geomagnetic field non-dipole part cannot be considered proved yet for the time interval 7th to 13th Centuries AD from the Bulgarian directional data.