Investigation of the geomagnetic polarity pattern (from the cretaceous to the quaternary)

Summary The paper deals with the statistical approach to processing the polarity durations of the Earth's magnetic dipole over the past 170 million years. Partial elimination of the random component enables the mutual relation between normal and reversed polarities to be determined. The polarity time sequence has further been divided into several intervals. The frequency distributions for normal and reversed polarities have been established for each of these intervals. It has been found that the random component of the reversal triggering mechanism hides a pattern of behaviour which displays a certain amount of logic.     

Geomagnetic reversal frequency since the Late Cretaceous

Models of geomagnetic reversals as a stochastic or gamma renewal process have generally been tested for the Heirtzler et al. [1] magnetic polarity time scale which has subsequently been superseded. Examination of newer time scales shows that the mean reversal frequency is dominated in the Cenozoic and Late Cretaceous by a linearly increasing trend on which a rhythmic fluctuation is superposed. Subdivision into two periods of stationary behavior is no longer warranted. The distribution of polarity intervals is visibly not Poissonian but lacks short intervals. The LaBrecque et al. [2] polarity time scale shows the positions of 57 small-wavelength marine magnetic anomalies which may represent short polarity chrons. After adding these short events the distribution of all polarity intervals in the age range 0–40 Myr is stationary and does not differ significantly from a Poisson distribution. A strong asymmetry develops in which normal polarity chrons are Poisson distributed but reversed polarity chrons are gamma distributed with indexk = 2. This asymmetry is of opposite sense to previous suggestions and results from the unequal distribution of the short polarity chrons which are predominantly of positive polarity and concentrated in the Late Cenozoic. If short-wavelength anomalies arise from polarity chrons, the geomagnetic field may be more stable in one polarity than the other. Alternative explanations of the origin of short-wavelength marine magnetic anomalies cast doubt on the inclusion of them as polarity chrons, however. The observed behavior of reversal frequency suggests that core processes governing geomagnetic reversals possess a long-term memory.     

雷琼地区第四纪地磁极性年表——火山岩钾-氩年龄及古地磁学证据

雷琼地区火山岩的钾-氩同位素年龄测定和古地磁极性研究表明,新生代在该地区的岩浆活动一直很强烈。火山岩的生成年代不晚于中新世晚期,至更新世岩浆活动尤为强烈。 研究也表明中新世晚期以来这里的地球磁场极性变化规律与近期发表的地磁极性年表大体相符,并肯定了数个尚有争议的短期极性事件的存在。年代为0.58±0.13Ma的反极性火山岩的资料肯定了安比拉（Emperor）事件的存在。研究还证实了布容/松山极性时界线之下和哈拉米洛极性亚时之上有一短期的极性事件,其年代约为0.78±0.03Ma.在奥尔都维和哈拉米洛极性亚时之间存在有另一正极性事件,这可能相当于吉尔萨（Gilsa）事件。     

地球磁极倒转与白垩纪超静磁带的非线性分析

地球磁场多次发生南北(正负)磁极位置的变换和白垩纪超静磁带(CNS)的异常现象,这已为大家所公认.但造成这种异常现象的原因,则是迄今未能很好解答的一个难题. 应用非线性理论对地球磁极倒转和白垩纪超静磁带进行了分析, 认为超静磁带事件意味着地球核幔相互作用和外核流体运动可能处于能量最低的状态,地球磁场系统通过不断地与外界交换物质和能量,维持一种空间或时间的有序结构.在121～83Ma期间,无外星撞击地球引起地磁极性倒转,可能是白垩纪超静磁带出现的原因之一.地球磁场极性的随机倒转具有混沌运动的自逆转特性,混沌理论给地磁极性倒转提出了一个简明的动力机制解释.     

Magnetic cloud in the solar wind: A comparison with the classical model

The solar wind magnetic field distribution near the Earth has been studied and compared with the distribution anticipated according to the classical model. It has been indicated that a two-hump distribution of the IMF values discovered previously is not an artifact of averaging but reflects the actual structure of the magnetic field within the sector. In this case the magnetic field of polarity corresponding to the leading spot in the Northern Hemisphere is encountered more frequently. Not only the magnetic field magnitude but also the fields of either polarity increase with increasing activity. The distance between the peaks on the histogram of the magnetic field near the Earth increases from 6 to 10 nT. The quasi-22-year, 11-year, and quasibiennial (2.6 ± 0.3 years) cycles are observed in an alternate increase in the peaks, in the strength of the fields of either polarity, and in the ratio of the peaks to the occurrence frequency of zero values, respectively. The classical model is violated in approximately 25% of cases.     

On the identification of magnetostratigraphic polarity zones

Polarity zones of sedimentary sections reflect a pattern of alternating polarity of the geomagnetic field recorded by the remanent magnetization of rocks. Unfortunately, this pattern can have been modified by the variable sedimentation rate, which complicates the identification of polarity zones against the reference geomagnetic polarity time scale. To avoid this obstacle, the present paper suggests a transform applied to both the sequence of levels of polarity reversal horizons and the sequence of ages of polarity reversals before computing their cross-correlation. This transform usually reduces the impact of the variable sedimentation rate so that a sequence of more than eight polarity reversal horizons may be identified without biostratigraphic constraints. Numerical experiments involving random processes to simulate both the duration of polarity reversals and the sedimentation rate proved, however, that not all the parts of a hypothetical stratigraphic section spanning the past 165 Ma would be equally suitable for dating by magnetic polarity stratigraphy. A program performing both the compilation of polarity zones from the directions of the primary magnetization sampled along a section and subsequent identification of these polarity zones is made available online.     

Magnetic polarity during the Middle Jurassic as recorded in the Summerville and Curtis Formations

Three-quarters of the Summerville Formation and a small portion of the Curtis Formation of central Utah have been sampled at close stratigraphic spacing. The two formations constitute an intertonguing marine-marginal marine, tidal flat sequence representing middle Callovian time. The magnetic polarity sequence observed is dominantly reversed with a few relatively short normal intervals. The age of these formations corresponds to some portion of time within the Jurassic oceanic quiet zone. The fact that normal polarity was not prominent in these formations casts some doubt upon the hypothesis that a long period of normal polarity was the cause of the quiet zone. Furthermore, a literature compilation indicates that normal polarity did not dominate the Jurassic as had been thought. The pole position determined from the Middle Jurassic Summerville Formation slightly revises earlier results and suggests a tiny amount of apparent polar motion relative to North American between Late Triassic and Middle Jurassic time.     

Effect of the IMF neutral surface on north-south anisotropy of cosmic rays

The dependence of cosmic ray north-south anisotropy on the distance of the Earth to the IMF neutral current sheet has been studied. It has been indicated that the value of this anisotropy increases with increasing distance of the current sheet, and the anisotropy direction depends on polarity of the global solar magnetic field and on the sign of the IMF sector.     

黄海两钻孔岩芯的古地磁分析

本文利用沉积物中泥炭层C14的年龄测定,把样品极性方向与A·Cox的极性年表加以对比,发现在黄海两个钻孔的沉积物中有与布容正向期内拉尚反向事件相对应的层位,并估算了沉积物生成年代及该海域的沉积速率     

Special points in 11-year variations in the latitudinal characteristics of sunspot activity

It has been indicated that special moments (turning points), when certain characteristics of the latitudinal (equatorward) drift of the sunspot drift zone suddenly change, exist in each 11-year solar cycle. The moment when a sunspot formation low-latitude boundary minimum (T2), coordinated in time with the end of a polar magnetic field polarity reversal, exists has a special place among these points. A conclusion has been drawn that it is impossible to reconstruct polarity reversal moments in the past based on information about turning points T2. The average velocities of the latitudinal drift of the minimal, average, and maximal sunspot group latitudes have been calculated. It has been indicated that the closeness of the relationship between the first two velocities and the maximal activity amplitudes in the cycles differ substantially for the first (before point T2) and second (after point T2) cycle parts. The corresponding values of the correlation coefficients increase substantially in the second cycle (after point T2). It has been established that a relationship exists between some velocities calculated in these cycles and the activity amplitudes at maximums of the next cycles. A model for predicting future cycle maximums has been constructed based on this conclusion. The probable average annual Wolf number at a maximum of cycle 24 has been determined (W(24) = 93).     

A magnetic polarity time scale for the Early Cretaceous and Late Jurassic

The ages of polarity chrons in previous M-sequence magnetic polarity time scales were interpolated using basal sediment ages in suitably drilled DSDP holes. This method is subject to several sources of error, including often large paleontological age ranges. Magnetostratigraphic results have now tied the Early Cretaceous and Late Jurassic paleontological stage boundaries to the M-sequence of magnetic polarity. The numeric ages of most of these boundaries are inadequately known and some have been determined largely by intuition. An examination of relevant data suggests that 114 Ma, 136 Ma and 146 Ma are optimum estimates for the ages of the Aptian/Barremian, Cretaceous/Jurassic and Kimmeridgian/Oxfordian stage boundaries, respectively. Each of these boundaries has a good correlation to the M-sequence of magnetic reversals. The magnetostratigraphic tie-level ages are linearly related to the spreading distance and have been used to calculate a new magnetic polarity time scale for the Early Cretaceous and Late Jurassic. All stage boundaries in this time interval were correlated by magnetic stratigraphy to the proposed new time scale which was then used to estimate their numeric ages. These are, with the approximate relative errors of placement within the M-sequence:The absolute errors of these interpolated stage boundary ages depend on the accuracy of the tie-level ages.     

山西交城水峪贯三叠系下统磁性地层学研究

通过对水峪贯三叠系下统刘家沟组及和尚沟组的古地磁学研究 ,建立了该地层段的极性地层柱 ,极性柱具有混合极性的特点 .其中刘家沟组正反极性的组合格式与前人在鄂尔多斯盆地的结果基本一致 ,但和尚沟组差别较大 .根据特征剩磁确定的早三叠世刘家沟组的古地磁极位置经纬度分别为 347.5°和 69.5° ,这与前人在太原西山三叠系下统的研究成果 ,古地磁极位置经纬度 348.3° ,61 .9°大体一致     

Tidal triggering of deep moonquakes

Matching signals have previously been identified from about eighty repeating deep moonquake sources. These moonquakes clearly display tidal periodicities in their histories of origin times and signal amplitudes; they are presumably triggered by the solid-body tide in the moon, raised primarily by the earth. The A1 hypocentre has been the most active and has also produced seismograms with signals of reversed polarity. In an attempt to deduce focal mechanisms for these events, we calculated various tidal stress functions at the Al hypocentre using a homogeneous moon model, and correlated them with the origin times of events. No good correlation was found, either for tidal stress peaks of consistent polarity, or for tidal stress peaks of opposite polarity at the times of “inverted” events. This could be due to an inaccurate moon model, but it has also been noted that the relative amplitudes of signals recorded at different seismic stations vary between events from the same hypocentre. Earthquake swarms often contain events with fault-plane solutions in very different orientations. A similar variation between events from each deep moonquake hypocentre would explain the different amplitude ratios and also the “inverted” events.     

Reversed polarity patches at the CMB and geomagnetic field reversal

The International Geomagnetic Reference Field models (IGRF) for 1900–2000 are used to calculate the geomagnetic field distribution in the Earth’ interior from the ground surface to the core-mantle boundary (CMB) under the assumption of insulated mantle. Four reversed polarity patches, as one of the most important features of the CMB field, are revealed. Two patches with +Z polarity (downward) at the southern African and the southern American regions stand out against the background of ™Z polarity (upward) in the southern hemisphere, and two patches of ™Z polarity at the North Polar and the northern Pacific regions stand out against the +Z background in the northern hemisphere. During the 1900–2000 period the southern African (SAF) patch has quickly drifted westward at a speed of 0.20–.3° /a; meanwhile its area has expanded 5 times, and the magnetic flux crossing the area has intensified 30 times. On the other hand, other three patches show little if any change during this 100-year period. Extending upward, each of the reversed polarity patches at the CMB forms a chimney-shaped “reversed polarity column” in the mantle with the bottom at the CMB. The height of the SAF column has grown rapidly from 200km in 1900 to 900km in 2000. If the column grows steadily at the same rate in the future, its top will reach to the ground surface in 600–700 years. And then a reversed polarity patch will be observed at the Earth’s surface, which will be an indicator of the beginning of a magnetic field reversal. On the basis of this study, one can describe the process of a geomagnetic polarity reversal, the polarity reversal may be observed firstly in one or several local regions; then the areas of these regions expand, and at the same time, other new reversed polarity regions may appear. Thus several poles may exist during a polarity reversal.     

Middle and early cretaceous magnetic stratigraphy from the Cismon section,northern Italy

The pelagic limestones exposed in the valley of the Cismon river (near Feltre) appear to represent continuous deposition from Valanginian to Campanian, apart from a short hiatus in the Early Albian. Detrital magnetite is the carrier of remanence in these predominantly white-grey limestones, and a well-defined magnetic stratigraphy has been obtained. The Cretaceous quiet zone at Cismon is totally normal in polarity and stretches from Early Aptian to Early Campanian. Below the Lower Aptian, the Early Cretaceous mixed polarity interval is tentatively correlated with the sequence of geomagnetic reversals derived from the oceanic magnetic anomalies.     

Paleoposition of Southwest Japan at 16 Ma: Implication from paleomagnetism of the Miocene Ichishi Group

New paleomagnetic data from shallow-marine sediments of the Ichishi Group suggest a clockwise tectonic rotation of Southwest Japan in the Middle Miocene. Samples have been collected from mud or tuff layers at 17 sites. Stability of remanent magnetization has been examined by using alternating field and thermal demagnetization. The polarity sequence, composed of four normal and seven reversed polarity sites, is correlated to Polarity Epoch 16 (15.2–17.6 Ma), based on micropaleontological assignment of the upper Ichishi Group to Blow's Zone N8. The mean paleomagnetic direction of the 11 sites shows an anomalous declination toward the northeast. This result suggests that Southwest Japan was subjected to a clockwise rotation through 45° since 16 Ma. The clockwise rotation can be explained by the drift of Southwest Japan associated with the spreading of the Japan Sea during the Middle Miocene.     

The palaeogeomagnetic field strength,variations in reversal frequency,and geomagnetic dynamo models

Abstract

The geomagnetic field and its frequent polarity reversals are generally attributed to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) processes in the Earth's metallic and fluid core. But it is difficult to identify convincingly any MHD timescales with that over which the reversals occur. Moreover, the geological record indicates that the intervals between the consecutive reversals have varied widely. In addition, there have been superchrons when the reversals have been frequent, and at least two, and perhaps three, 35-70 Myr long superchrons when they were almost totally absent. The evaluation of these long-term variations in the palaeogeophysical record can provide crucial constraints on theories of geomagnetism, but it has generally been limited to only the directional or polarity data. It is shown here that the correlation of the palaeogeomagnetic field strength with the field's protracted stability during a fixed polarity superchron provides such a constraint. In terms of a strong field dynamo model it leads to the speculation that the magnetic Reynolds number, and the toroidal field, increase substantially during a superchron of frequent reversals.     

A detailed paleomagnetic survey of the type location for the Gilsa geomagnetic polarity event

A total of 163 cores have been taken from a maximum of 40 separate lavas in three separate sections of the Jökuldalur, southwest of Egilsstadir, Iceland, and subjected to paleomagnetic analysis and some K-Ar dating. Previous work on the sections by McDougall and Wensink (1966) led to the establishment of the Gilságeomagnetic polarity event, with an age of about 1.60 m.y., during the reversed polarity Matuyama epoch. This earlier study described a possible reversely magnetized lava separating the Gilsáevent from a second normal polarity lava, perhaps representing the Olduvai event. Such a possibility was subsequently a source of speculation from diverse sources concerning the polarity history for the lower Matuyama. The present study indicates clearly that there is no second normal polarity event represented in the sections. Only one normal polarity event is therefore represented in the lower Matuyama of the Jökuldalur, and the age of the lavas involved is confirmed to be approximately 1.58 ± 0.08 m.y. Because of uncertainties in the interpretation of the original K-Ar results from Olduvai Gorge, it is still not possible to be certain that the Olduvai and Gilsáevents are separated in time. An incidental result of the survey is evidence to show that, contrary to recent suggestions by Einarsson (1972), there is no substantial hiatus between the major lower parts of the section and lavas believed to represent extrusions after a regional tilting and peneplanation.     

Gauss-Matuyama极性转换期间地球磁场方向和强度变化特征

粒度分析和风化强度研究表明 ,黄土高原渭南阳郭剖面黄土层L33沉积期间成壤化作用相对较弱 .在此基础上 ,为研究极性转换期间地球磁场变化特征 ,本文对黄土层L33进行了详细的岩石磁学和古地磁学研究 ,其结果表明黄土层L33的主要载磁矿物为磁铁矿和磁赤铁矿 ,并以沉积剩磁为主 ;由逐步热退磁确定的特征剩磁 （ChRM ）揭示了G M（Gauss Matuyama）极性转换过程的持续时间为 9 43± 0 64ka;在G M极性转换之前 ,地球磁场曾发生过持续时间为 2 2± 0 1 3ka的短极性漂移事件 ;相对强度研究表明 ,G M极性转换期间地球磁场强度减弱 .     

A direct test of the Vine-Matthews hypothesis

Paleomagnetic studies of the basalt samples of Mid-Atlantic Ridge recovered during DSDP Leg 45 and the FAMOUS Project have led to a revision of our view of the oceanic igneous crust as a recorder of geomagnetic field reversals. The discovery of several magnetic polarity reversals with depth in the crust has indicated that oceanic igneous basement should not necessarily be considered magnetized uniformly in direction, or even polarity, in a given vertical cross section. Statistical arguments, based on the ratio of the average time of crustal formation to the average length of a magnetic polarity interval, indicate that magnetic reversals with depth are to be expected in typical ocean crust, but also that this does not conflict with current theories of plate tectonics or exclude the upper layers of the crust from making a major contribution to the overlying linear magnetic anomalies. Certain ratios of average crustal formation time to average polarity interval do, however, result in an effective zero magnetization for the oceanic crust and these conditions may be responsible for the reduced amplitude of magnetic anomalies in some areas.