Palaeomagnetism and magnetostratigraphy of uppermost Permian strata, southeast New Mexico, USA: correlation of the Permian–Triassic boundary in non-marine environments

Continental red sandstone and siltstone rocks of the Dewey Lake (Quartermaster) Formation at Maroon Cliffs, near Carlsbad, New Mexico, are characterized by two components of magnetization with partially overlapping laboratory unblocking temperature spectra. Both magnetizations display high coercivities (>100 mT), probably residing in haematite. A north-directed magnetization with steep positive inclination unblocks between 100 and 650 °C, isolating a predominantly northwest-directed magnetization, with shallow inclination, of near uniform normal polarity and maximum unblocking temperatures of 680 °C.
We collected samples from 24 palaeomagnetic sites (i.e. individual beds) from a ~60 m thick section of flat-lying strata disconformably overlying carbonate and evaporite rocks of the Rustler Formation. The upper member of the Rustler Formation contains a Late Permian (early Changxingian) marine invertebrate and conodont fauna. Of the sampled sites, four yield only steep magnetizations, interpreted to be recent overprints. Eight sites did not yield well-grouped site means and were excluded from the final calculations. The formation mean (dec = 337.7°, inc = 9.2°; k = 31.6, α ₉₅ = 7.8°, N = 12 sites) defines a palaeomagnetic pole located at 55.2°N, 117.5°E, in good agreement with other Late Permian North American cratonic poles.
Correlation of the short polarity sequence of this section of Dewey Lake strata is unambiguous. Compared with the polarity stratigraphy of marine sections in Asia, and supported by isotopic age determinations on a widespread bentonite bed in Dewey Lake strata in west Texas (approximately 251 Ma) and fossil data for the underlying Rustler Formation, the magnetostratigraphy is consistent with deposition of the Dewey Lake Formation during the latest Changxingian (Late Permian) stage.     

Ordovician magnetostratigraphy: Llanvirn-Caradoc limestones of the Baltic platform

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Palaeomagnetic sampling has been performed covering 43 stratigraphic levels within the Baltoscandian Ordovician carbonates. After removing a ubiquitous Permo-Carboniferous (287 ± 14 Ma) remagnetization between 200 and 500 C, a Llanvirn-Caradoc reversal stratigraphy is delineated by components with maximum unblocking temperatures up to 550-580 C. Three reversed (SE, down) and three normal (NW. up) antipodal polarity intervals have been recognized. A primary/early diagenetic remanence age is therefore inferred for the stratigraphically linked polarity chrons. Primary magnetizations are resident in detrital/biogenic or early diagenetically formed single- and pseudo-single domain magnetite phases and subordinate early diagenetic pigmentary haematite.
The recognition of a primary remanence within these well-dated Ordovician carbonates has the following important tectonic and magnetostratigraphic consequences.
(1) Accurate time-calibration of the Baltic APW path implies that rapid counterclockwise rotation took place in late Tremadoc and Llandeilo times. The Arenig-Llanvirn epochs are characterized by a 'still stand'. Baltica occupied intermediate to high Southerly latitudes during the early Ordovician (Tremadoc-Llanvirn). Systematic northward drift is recognized in post-Llanvirn times.
(2) A time-calibrated Ordovician reversal stratigraphy is proposed. Presently available data suggest the geomagnetic field was predominantly reversely polarized during Tremadoc and Arenig times. Two normal polarity zones of short duration are identified within mid-Llanvirn and mid-Llandeilo strata. Discontinuities within the succession may mask other short-period events. Late Llandeilo to mid-Caradoc times were then characterized by a normal polarity field.     

Magnetostratigraphy of the lower Triassic volcanics from deep drill SG6 in western Siberia: evidence for long-lasting Permo–Triassic volcanic activity

The deep drill hole SG6 in western Siberia (66°N, 78.5°E) penetrated 1.1  km of lower Triassic basalts, which are possibly an extension of the central Siberian Permo– Triassic flood basalt province. About 300 samples of these basalts were progressively demagnetized and measured. Principal component analysis often shows multiple magnetizations carried by haematite and magnetite. The corrected mean inclinations are +77° and −77° for the haematite component. A magnetostratigraphic scale was derived and showed a N–R–N–R–N succession. This is quite different from the Noril'sk and Taimyr typical polarity scale, R–N.
  The basalts found in the SG6 deep drill hole are slightly younger than those of central Siberia and Taimyr. They correspond to middle–upper Induan age, whereas the Noril'sk and Taimyr sections correspond to an uppermost Permian and lower Induan age. Altogether they indicate that, after a high output rate of volcanic material near the Permo–Triassic boundary, this activity slowed down drastically on the Siberian platform and Taimyr, but persisted for several million years in western Siberia.     

Early Triassic palaeomagnetic results from the Ryeongnam Block, Korean Peninsula: the eastern extension of the North China Block

Greenish sandstones in the Early Triassic Nogam Formation of the Ryeongnam Block, Korean Peninsula were collected at 23 sites for palaeomagnetic study. A high-temperature magnetization component with unblocking temperatures of 670–690 °C was isolated from seven sites and yielded a positive fold test at the 95 per cent confidence level. The high-temperature component is interpreted to be of primary origin because the folding age is Middle Triassic. The Early Triassic palaeomagnetic direction for the Ryeongnam Block after tilt correction is D =347.1°, I =23.8° ( α ₉₅=5.5°). The palaeomagnetic pole (62.5°N, 336.8°E, A ₉₅ = 4.7°) shows good agreement with the coeval pole for the North China Block, suggesting that the Ryeongnam Block has been part of the North China Block at least since Early Triassic times. A tectonic history of the Korean Peninsula includes obduction of the eastern part of the South China Block onto the central part of the Korean Peninsula in the Permian, with the Ryeongnam Block geographically isolated from the main part of the North China Block. Collision of the North and South China blocks commenced initially at the Korean Peninsula, and suturing of the two blocks progressed westwards.     

Magnetostratigraphic investigations of the Middle Triassic Badong Formation in South China

Magnetostratigraphic sampling of the Middle Triassic Badong Formation in South China was conducted at three sections. A dual-polarity characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) resolved from most samples by thermal demagnetization is shown to have been acquired prior to folding. The primary nature of the ChRM is corroborated by the discovery of the same magnetic polarity at equivalent stratigraphic levels in more than one section. The relative sample VGP (virtual geomagnetic pole) latitudes define nine magnetozones for the three major constituent members of the formation. Comparison with the Mid-Triassic magnetic polarity sequence observed from the western Tethyan region appears to indicate that the bulk of the Badong Formation is Anisian in age and that Ladinian sediments are largely missing. This agrees with palaeontological and stratigraphic evidence in the region and supports the view that Ladinian regression is a major event in the geological evolution of South China, which may signal the onset of amalgamation of the Yangtze Block (YB) with the North China Block (NCB).     

Late Permian to Late Triassic palaeomagnetic data from Iran: constraints on the migration of the Iranian block through the Tethyan Ocean and initial destruction of Pangaea

A palaeomagnetic study of Late Permian to early Jurassic rocks from the Alborz and Sanandaj–Sirjan zones in Iran and a compilation of selected palaeopoles from the Carboniferous to the present provide an updated history of the motion of the Iranian block within the Tethys Ocean. The Iran assemblage, part of Gondwana during the Palaeozoic, rifted away by the end of the Permian. We ascertain the southern-hemisphere palaeoposition of Iran at that time using magnetostratigraphy and show that it was situated close to Arabia, near to its relative position today. A northward transit of this block during the Triassic is shown, with an estimated expansion rate of the Neotethyan ridge of 100–140  km Myr⁻¹. The northward convergence with respect to Eurasia ended during the Ladinian (Middle Triassic), and is marked by a collision in the northern hemisphere with the Turan platform, which was the southern margin of the Eurasian continent at that time. No north–south component of shortening is evidenced north of Iran afterwards. An analysis of the declinations from the Late Permian to the present shows different, large rotations, emphasizing the important tectonic phases suffered since the Triassic. Finally, we propose palaeomagnetic reconstructions of the Tethys area during the Late Permian and the Late Triassic, showing that the Palaeotethys Ocean was narrower than previously thought, and did not widen its gate to the Panthalassa before the Triassic period.     

A detailed record of normal-reversed-polarity transition obtained from a thick loess sequence at Jiuzhoutai, near Lanzhou, China

A record of normal-reversed-polarity transition has been obtained from a 4 m thickness of loess exposed at a section near Lanzhou, China. Magnetostratigraphic studies suggest it may represent a reversal bounding the onset of a reversed-polarity zone within the Jaramillo Normal Subchron. The natural remanent magnetization consists of two components: a low-coercivity (≤20mT), low-unblocking-temperature (≤300°C) component of viscous origin and a high-coercivity (>20mT), high-unblocking-temperature (250–700 °C) component carrying the characteristic remanence. Mineral magnetic analyses confirmed the presence of magnetite, its low-temperature oxidation products and haematite, each contributing to the remanence properties. Grain size and concentration showed limited variations and there was little evidence for the presence of the ultrafine magnetic phase commonly associated with palaeosol formation. Pedogenic processes appeared negligible and their effects unimportant, with detrital processes dominating the mineralogy and most probably the acquisition of the characteristic remanence. The reversal record was characterized by the decay and recovery of the geocentric axial dipole term with large directional swings occurring during periods of reduced relative palaeofield intensity. The virtual geomagnetic poles traced a complex path exhibiting no particular geographical confinement. Relative palaeofield intensity determinations were insensitive to the choice of normalization parameter and showed a distinctive asymmetry. Striking similarities were observed with the Matuyama-Jaramillo reversal record, obtained from the same section (Rolph 1993), and the Steens Mountain reversal record (Prévot el al. 1985), lending further support for the existence of unusually high post-transitional field intensities     

Clockwise rotations recorded in Early Cretaceous rocks of South Korea: implications for tectonic affinity between the Korean Peninsula and North China

Recent interest has focused on whether South Korea may have undergone variable tectonic rotations since the Cretaceous. In an effort to contribute to the answer to this question, we have completed a palaeomagnetic reconnaissance study of Early Cretaceous sedimentary and igneous rocks from the Kyongsang basin in southeast Korea. Stepwise thermal demagnetization isolated well-defined characteristic magnetization in all samples. The palaeomagnetic directions reveal patterns of increasing amounts of clockwise (CW) rotation with increasing age for Aptian rock units. Palaeomagnetic declinations indicate clockwise vertical-axis rotations of R = 34.3° ± 6.9° for the early Aptian rock unit, R = 24.9° ± 10.6° for the middle Aptian, and R = −0.9° ± 11.8° for the late Aptian relative to eastern Asia. The new Cretaceous palaeomagnetic data from this study are consistent with the hypothesis that Korea and other major parts of eastern Asia occupied the same relative positions in terms of palaeolatitudes in the Cretaceous. An analysis of and comparison with previously reported palaeomagnetic data corroborates this hypothesis and suggests that much of Korea may have been connected to the North China Block since the early Palaeozoic. A plausible cause of the rotation is the westward subduction of the Kula plate underneath the Asian continent, which is inferred to have occurred during the Cretaceous according to several geological and tectonic analyses.     

Palaeomagnetism of Lower Cambrian sediments from the Olenek River section (northern Siberia): palaeopoles and the problem of magnetic polarity in the Early Cambrian

New palaeomagnetic data from the Lower and Middle Cambrian sedimentary rocks of northern Siberia are presented. During stepwise thermal demagnetization the stable characteristic remanence (ChRM) directions have been isolated for three Cambrian formations. Both polarities have been observed, and mean ChRM directions (for normal polarity) are: Kessyusa Formation (Lower Cambrian) D = 145°, I = -40°, N = 12, α₉₅= 12.8°; pole position: φ= 38°S, A = 165°E; Erkeket Formation (Lower Cambrian, stratigraphically highly) D = 152°, I = - 47°, N = 23, α₉₅= 6.8°; pole position: φ= 45°S, A = 159°E; Yunkyulyabit-Yuryakh Formation (Middle Cambrian) D = 166°, I = - 33°, N = 38, α₉₅= 4.6°; pole position: φ= 36°S, L = 140°E. These poles are in good agreement with the apparent polar wander path based on the bulk of existing Cambrian palaeomagnetic data from the Siberian platform. In Cambrian times, the Siberian platform probably occupied southerly latitudes stretching from about 35° to 0°, and was oriented 'reversely' with respect to its present position. Siberia moved northwards during the Cambrian by about 10° of latitude. This movement was accompanied by anticlockwise rotation of about 30°. The magnetostratigraphic results show the predominance of reversed polarity in the Early Cambrian and an approximately equal occurrence of both polarities in the part of the Middle Cambrian studied. These results are in good agreement with the palaeomagnetic polarity timescale for the Cambrian of the Siberian platform constructed previously by Khramov et al. (1987).     

Mid Campanian‐Lower Maastrichtian magnetostratigraphy of the James Ross Basin,Antarctica: Chronostratigraphical implications

The James Ross Basin, in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, exposes which is probably the world thickest and most complete Late Cretaceous sedimentary succession of southern high latitudes. Despite its very good exposures and varied and abundant fossil fauna, precise chronological determination of its infill is still lacking. We report results from a magnetostratigraphic study on shelfal sedimentary rocks of the Marambio Group, southeastern James Ross Basin, Antarctica. The succession studied covers a ~1,200 m‐thick stratigraphic interval within the Hamilton Point, Sanctuary Cliffs and Karlsen Cliffs Members of the Snow Hill Island Formation, the Haslum Crag Formation, and the lower López de Bertodano Formation. The basic chronological reference framework is given by ammonite assemblages, which indicate a Late Campanian – Early Maastrichtian age for the studied units. Magnetostratigraphic samples were obtained from five partial sections located on James Ross and Snow Hill islands, the results from which agree partially with this previous biostratigraphical framework. Seven geomagnetic polarity reversals are identified in this work, allowing to identify the Chron C32/C33 boundary in Ammonite Assemblage 8‐1, confirming the Late Campanian age of the Hamilton Point Member. However, the identification of the Chron C32/C31 boundary in Ammonite Assemblage 8‐2 assigns the base of the Sanctuary Cliffs Member to the early Maastrichtian, which differs from the Late Campanian age previously assigned by ammonite biostratigraphy. This magnetostratigraphy spans ~14 Ma of sedimentary succession and together with previous partial magnetostratigraphies on Early‐Mid Campanian and Middle Maastrichtian to Danian columns permits a complete and continuous record of the Late Cretaceous distal deposits of the James Ross Basin. This provides the required chronological resolution to solve the intra‐basin and global correlation problems of the Late Cretaceous in the Southern Hemisphere in general and in the Weddellian province in particular, given by endemism and diachronic extinctions on invertebrate fossils, including ammonites. The new chronostratigraphic scheme allowed us to calculate sediment accumulation rates for almost the entire Late Cretaceous infill of the distal James Ross Basin (the Marambio Group), showing a monotonous accumulation for more than 8 Myr during the upper Campanian and a dramatic increase during the early Maastrichtian, controlled by tectonic and/or eustatic causes.