Palaeomagnetism of Mesozoic igneous rocks from the Maranha˜o Basin,Brazil, and the time of opening of the South Atlantic

From Middle-Upper Jurassic volcanics at the western margin of the Maranha?o Basin (6.4°S, 47.4°W) 15 sites (121 samples) have a mean magnetization directionD = 3.9°,I = ?17.9° withα₉₅ = 9.3°,k = 17.9 after AF cleaning (all sites have normal polarity). This yields a pole (named SAJ₂) at 85.3°N, 82.5°E (A₉₅ = 6.9°) which is near to the other known Middle Jurassic South American pole. For 21 sites (190 samples) from Lower Cretaceous basalt intrusions from the eastern part of the Maranha?o Basin (6.5°S, 42°W) the mean direction isD = 174.7°,I = +6.0° withα₉₅ = 2.8°,k = 122 (all sites have reversed polarity) yielding a pole (SAK₉) at 83.6°N, 261°E (A₉₅ = 1.9°) in agreement with other Lower Cretaceous pole positions for South America. Comparing Mesozoic pole positions for South America and Africa in the pre-drift configuration after Bullard et al. [13] one finds a significant difference (with more than 95% probability) for the Lower Cretaceous and Middle Jurassic poles and also a probable difference for the mean Triassic poles indicating a small but probably stationary separation of the two continents from the predrift position in the Mesozoic until Lower Cretaceous time which may be due to an early rifting event.     

Palaeomagnetism and K-Ar ages of triassic igneous rocks from the Ischigualasto-Ischichuca Basin and Puesto Viejo Formation,Argentina

The palaeomagnetism of Middle Triassic (224 ± 5 m.y.) igneous rocks from the Ischigualasto-Ischichuca Basin (67°40′W, 30°20′S) was investigated through 86 oriented hand samples from 11 sites. At least one reversal of the geomagnetic field has been found in these rocks. Nine sites yield a palaeomagnetic pole at 239°E, 79°S (α₉₅ = 15°, k = 13).The K-Ar age determinations of five igneous units of the Puesto Viejo Formation give a mean age of 232 ± 4 m.y. (Early Triassic). The palaeomagnetism of six igneous units of the Puesto Viejo Formation (68°W, 35°S) was investigated through 60 oriented samples. These units, two reversed relative to the present magnetic field of the Earth and four normal, yield a pole at 236°E, 76°S (α₉₅ = 18°, k = 14).Data from the Puesto Viejo Formation indicate, for the first time on the basis of palaeomagnetic and radiometric data, that the Illawarra Zone, which defines the end of the Kiaman Magnetic Interval, extends at least down to 232 ± 4 m.y. within the Early Triassic. The palaeomagnetic poles for the igneous rocks of the Ischigualasto-Ischichuca Basin and Puesto Viejo Formation form an “age group” with the South American Triassic palaeomagnetic poles (mean pole position: 239°E, 77°S; α₉₅ = 6.6°, k = 190). The Middle and Upper Permian, Triassic and Middle Jurassic palaeomagnetic poles for South America would define a “time group” reflecting a quasi-static interval (mean pole position: 232°E, 81°S; α₉₅ = 4°, k = 131).     

A palaeomagnetic study of the coast-parallel Jurassic dyke swarm in southern Greenland

Results are reported from palaeomagnetic samples collected in two traverses across the coast-parallel dyke swarm of southern Greenland. This swarm probably resulted as the consequence of initial rifting between Greenland and Labrador, and a reversal of magnetisation has been found which is correlated on the basis of KAr age determinations (～168 m.y.) with the Mateke event of the Middle Jurassic (Bajocian). All of fifteen sites show significant grouping of directions after a.f. cleaning; three have anomalous directions of magnetisation while the remainder (nine normal, three reversed) give a combined mean direction of D = 336°, I = 66° (α₉₅ = 4.6°) with a palaeomagnetic pole at 191°E, 72°N. The dykes exhibit the same corelation between polarity and deuteric oxidation state as that found in Tertiary volcanics. There is a systematic change in magnetisation across the dyke swarm in south Greenland from normal to anomalous to reversed directions; this is interpreted as due to lateral migration of the response to the regional stress field with time. The pole position lies in the vicinity of Jurassic poles from North America after closing the Labrador Sea according to the reconstruction of Bullard, Everett and Smith, but the scatter of these latter poles precludes a confirmation of this reconstruction for Middle Jurassic and earlier times.     

Palaeomagnetism of the tororo ring complex,S.E. Uganda

Palaeomagnetic measurements on the pre-Miocene carbonatite volcanics of Tororo, S.E. Uganda, have yielded a pole at 75.8°N, 195.5°E with A₉₅ = 9.4°. Along with the Tertiary poles from East African rift systems, the Eocene-Oligocene pole from Ethiopia and the mean Mesozoic pole from the rest of Africa, a polar wander path for Africa fromMesozoic to present is suggested.     

Palaeomagnetism of Upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks from Cabo de Sto. Agostinho,Brazil

One hundred samples from nine sites in Upper Cretaceous volcanics (K/Ar age 85–99 m.y.) of the magmatic province of Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco (8.4°S, 35.0°W) yield a mean direction of magnetizationD = 0.4°, I = ?20.6°withα₉₅ = 4.8°, k = 114 after AF cleaning. All sites have normal polarity with a mean pole, named SAK₁₀, at 87.6°N, 135°E withA₉₅ = 4.5° which is close to other Upper Cretaceous poles for South America. These poles are compared with Upper Cretaceous poles of Africa for various reconstructions of the two continents.     

Paleomagnetic evidence for Jurassic deformation of the McCoy Mountains Formation,southeastern California and southwestern Arizona

The Mesozoic McCoy Mountains Formation is a 7.3-km-thick deformed clastic sequence exposed in six mountain ranges in southeastern California and southwestern Arizona. Interbedded with Jurassic volcanic rocks at its base, the McCoy Mountains Formation had been assigned a Cretaceous age based upon fossil angiosperm wood found in the upper third of the section. Characteristic natural remanent magnetism (NRM) from 145 oriented samples from 18 sites within the sedimentary terrane yield an in situ mean direction:I = 20.6°, D = 335.1°, α₉₅ = 7.7° (uncorrected for structural tilting). Opaque mineralogy and a failed fold test indicate that the NRM is a chemical remanence acquired post-folding. The paleomagnetic pole position calculated from the in situ mean direction falls adjacent to poles from the Summerville Formation and Canelo Hills Volcanics. We interpret these data to indicate that deformation, mild metamorphism, and resultant magnetization of the McCoy Mountains Formation occurred during Jurassic time. It is suggested that the McCoy Mountains Formation and underlying Jurassic volcanics were deposited adjacent to, and then deformed between, the North American craton and an outlying allochthonous terrane during Jurassic time.     

Palaeomagnetic directions in Precambrian basic intrusives of the Mount Isa Province,Australia

Palaeomagnetic investigation of basic intrusives in the Proterozoic Mount Isa Province yields three groups of directions of stable components of NRM after magnetic cleaning in fields up to 50 mT (1 mT= 10 Oe). The youngest group (IA) includes results from the Lakeview Dolerite, and yields a palaeomagnetic pole at 12°S, 124°E (A₉₅ = 11°). The second group (IB) has a palaeomagnetic pole 53°S, 102°E (A₉₅ = 11°). The third group (IC) is derived from the Lunch Creek Gabbro and contains normal and reversed polarities of magnetization with a palaeomagnetic pole at 63°S, 201°E (A₉₅ = 9°). Some samples from the gabbro have anomalously low intensities of remanent magnetization in obscure directions attributed to the relative enhancement of the non-dipole component of the palaeomagnetic field during polarity reversal. The present attitude of the igneous lamination is probably of primary, not tectonic origin.     

Paleomagnetism of the Lower Ordovician and Cambrian sedimentary rocks in the section of the Narva River right bank: For the construction of the Baltic Kinematic model in the Early Paleozoic

The paleomagnetic study of the Lower Ordovician and Cambrian sedimentary rocks exposed on the Narva River’s right bank revealed a multicomponent composition of natural remanent magnetization. Among four distinguished medium- and high-temperature magnetization components, the bipolar component, which carries the reversal test, is probably the primary component and reflects the geomagnetic field direction and variations during the Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician. The pole positions corresponding to this component have coordinates 22°N, 87°E (dp/dm = 5°/6°) for the Late Cambrian, and 18°N, 55°E (dp/dm = 5°/7°) for the Early Ordovician (Tremadocian and Arenigian). Together with the recently published paleomagnetic poles for the sections of the Early Ordovician in the Leningrad Region and the series of poles obtained when the Ordovician limestones were studied in Sweden, these poles form new key frameworks for the Upper Cambrian-Middle Ordovician segment of the apparent polar-wander path (APWP) for the Baltica. Based on these data, we propose a renewed version of the APWP segment: the model of the Baltica motion as its clockwise turn by 68° around the remote Euler pole. This motion around the great circle describes (with an error of A₉₅ = 10°) both variations in the Baltic position from 500 to 456 Ma ago in paleolatitude and its turn relative to paleomeridians. According to the monopolar components of natural remanent magnetization detected in the Narva rocks, the South Pole positions are 2°S, 351°E (dp/dm = 5°/9°), 39°S, 327°E, (dp/dm = 4°/7°), and 42°S and 311°E (dp/dm = 9°/13°). It is assumed that these components reflect regional remagnetization events in the Silurian, Late Permian, and Triassic.     

Paleomagnetic results from the Late Carboniferous/Early Permian Casper Formation: implications for northern Appalachian tectonics

Paleomagnetic samples were collected from 190 m of the Late Carboniferous/Early Permian Casper Formation in southeastern Wyoming. A total of 549 samples was drilled near the vicinity of Horse Creek Station at an average stratigraphic interval of 33 cm. All samples were reversely magnetized. Rock magnetic analyses indicate that the primary carrier of remanence in the formation is hematite. A selection criterion applied to the partial demagnetized data restricted the sample population to 233, resulting in a paleomagnetic North Pole located at 47.4°N, 127.4°E (δ_p=0.7;δ_m=1.4). The Casper pole agrees well with other Late Carboniferous/Early Permian poles for cratonic North America. The tight clustering of these paleomagnetic poles suggests that little apparent polar motion with respect to North America occurred during this time. Comparing the stable North American poles with paleomagnetic poles from Late Carboniferous/Early Permian strata of the New England-Canadian Maritime region (Acadia) indicates that this region did not reach its present position relative to North America until at least the Early Permian.     

Palaeomagnetism of Cretaceous and Jurassic volcanic rocks in west Sicily

The mean palaeomagnetic pole position obtained from Upper Cretaceous rocks in west Sicily is at 21°N, 100°E (A₉₅ = 15°), and at 38°N, 67°E (A₉₅ = 31°) obtained from Middle Jurassic rocks. These pole positions are completely different from comparable pole positions for southeast Sicily and Africa and imply a clockwise rotation of west Sicily since the Upper Cretaceous of about 90° relative to southeast Sicily and Africa and also a clockwise rotation of about 60° relative to “stable” Europe. The sense of rotation of west Sicily is opposite to any known rotation of other crustal blocks in the central Mediterranean.     

A new palaeomagnetic result from East Africa and estimates of the Mesozoic palaeoradius

Of 16 sites collected in the Taru grits (Permian) and Maji ya Chumvi beds (Permo-Triassic) of East Africa only 6 sites from the Maji ya Chumvi sediments gave meaningful palaeomagnetic results. After thermal cleaning the 6 sites (32 samples) give an Early Triassic pole at 67°N, 269°E with A₉₅ = 17° in excellent agreement with other African Mesozoic poles. There are now 26 Mesozoic palaeomagnetic poles for Africa from widely diverse localities ranging in present latitude from 35°N to 30°S. The poles subdivide into Triassic (17 poles) and Cretaceous (9 poles) groups whose means are not significantly different. The palaeomagnetic pole for Africa thus remained in much the same position for 170 m.y. from Early Triassic to Late Cretaceous. The data form an especially good set for estimating the palaeoradius using Ward's method. Values of 1.08 ± 0.15 and 1.03 ± 0.19 times the present radius are deduced for the Triassic and Cretaceous respectively with a mean value of 1.08 ± 0.13 for all the Mesozoic data combined. The analysis demonstrates that hypotheses of earth expansion are very unattractive.     

New Cambrian paleomagnetic pole for Yangtze Block

A total of 120 samples from 12 sites were collected from two flanks of a fold. Stepwise thermal demagnetization has successfully revealed characteristic magnetization components from the rocks in each case. A well-defined component determined from red fine-grained sandstone is clustered in the northeasterly direction with shallow upward inclination (D = 29.3°,I= -19.2°,k = 283.7, α₉₅ = 7.3°. tilt-corrected). The pole position (39.5°N, 247.3°E,dp = 4.0°,dm = 7.6°) derived from this component is close to the Permian pole for the Yangtze Block, indicating that the red fine-grained sandstone has been overprinted. The red mudstone reveals two characteristic components Component A with lower unblocking temperature, characterized by northerly declination and moderate to steep inclination corresponds to a pole position overlay with the present North Pole. Component B (D = 129.1°,I=-23.6°,k = 44.6, α₉₅ = 7.8°, tilt-corrected) with higher unblocking temperature, passes fold test, and yields a pole position (39.5°S, 185.l°E,dp = 4.4°,dm = 8.3°) different from the other poles for the Yangtze Block. It is therefore suggested that component B was probably a primary magnetization and the Yangtze Block was situated at low latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere in the Middle Cambrian.     

Palaeomagnetism of the dyke swarms of the Gardar Igneous Province,south Greenland

In the western part of the Gardar Igneous Province of southern Greenland, lamprophyre dykes intruded at ca. 1276-1254 m.y. RbSr biotite ages yield a palaeomagnetic pole at 206.5°E,3°N (nine sites, dψ = 5.1°, d_χ = 10.1°) Slightly younger dolerite dykes with RbSr biotite ages in the range 1278-1263 m.y. give a pole at 201.5°E,8.5°N (24 sites, dψ = 4.7°, d_χ = 9.4°), and the syeno-gabbro ring dyke of the Kûngnât complex (RbSr isochron age 1245 ± 17 m.y.) cutting both of these dykes swarms, gives a pole at 198.5°E, 3.5°N (four sites, dψ = 2.3°,d_χ = 4.4°). All these rock units have the same polarity and the poles are identical to those from Mackenzie and related igneous rocks of North America (1280-1220 m.y.) after closure of the Davis Strait; they confirm that this part of the Gardar Province is a lateral extension of the Mackenzie igneous episode within the Laurentian craton.In the Tugtutôq region of the eastern part of the Gardar Province 47 NNE-trending dykes of various petrologic types, and intruded between 1175 ± 9 and 1168 ± 37 m.y. (RbSr isochron ages) yield a palaeomagnetic pole at 223.9° E, 36.4°N (dψ = 4.1°, d_χ = 6.1°). Fifteen other dykes in this swarm were intruded during a transitional phase of the magnetic field which, however, does not appear to have achieved a complete reversal over a period of several millions of years. The majority of dykes studied are highly stable to AF and thermal demagnetisation and contain single high blocking temperature components with single Curie points in the range 380–560°C.Palaeomagnetic poles from the Gardar Province between ca. 1330 and 1160 m.y. in age define the earlier part of the Great Logan apparent polar-wander loop; they correlate closely with contemporaneous North American results and confirm the coherence of the Laurentian craton in Upper Proterozoic times.     

Paleomagnetism of Late Cretaceous Poços de Caldas alkaline complex,Southern Brazil

The paleomagnetism of the Late Cretaceous Poços de Caldas alkaline complex (46.6°W, 21.9°S) was investigated through 42 oriented cores from seven sites. Six sites, reversed relative to the present magnetic field of the Earth, yield a pole at 127°W, 82°S (dp = 8°,dm = 13°). This pole is located close to other Late Cretaceous poles for South America obtained by Creer [1] from untreated paleomagnetic samples. The results are significantly different from those for the nearby Early Cretaceous Serra Geral basalt but close to the Triassic pole for South America. The polar wandering path for South America for the Mesozoic seems to be more complicated than anticipated. The available paleomagnetic information may not yet be precise enough to determine the time of opening of the Atlantic.     

Palaeomagnetism of middle Ordovician volcanic rocks from Quebec

This palaeomagnetic study is centered on agglomerates and volcanic rocks from the western margin of the Appalachian belt in the Drummondville-Actonvale-Granby area, Quebec (long.: 72°30′W, lat.: 46°00′N). It involves a total of 36 oriented samples (111 speciments) distributed over eleven sites. Both thermal and AF cleaning techniques were used to isolate residual remanent components. The dispersion of the directions is slightly reduced after AF cleaning and thermal treatment.The palaeopole position obtained is 191°E, 6°N (d_m = 14°, d_p = 7°) after thermal treatment and 164°E, 19°N (d_m = 11°, d_p = 6°) after AF cleaning. The polarity of most of the sites (two exceptions) are reversed. The thermal-treated data appear to be relatively stable and an approximate value of the primary magnetization is extracted from them. The palaeopole obtained does not lie close to the tentatively defined position of the Cambrian and Ordovician poles from rocks of the North American plate; it is located near the Upper Cambrian and Lower Ordovician poles from eastern Newfoundland and the Lower Ordovician pole from the Caledonides in Europe.     

Paleomagnetic study of Cambrian Potsdam Group sandstones,St. Lawrence Lowlands,Quebec

We report paleomagnetic results from oriented drill core samples collected at 10 sites (80 samples) from the Covey Hill and 19 sites (96 samples) from the overlying, fossiliferous Cha?teauguay Formations of the gently dipping Late Cambrian Potsdam Group sandstones exposed in the St. Lawrence Lowlands of Quebec. Stepwise thermal demagnetization analyses ave revealed the presence of two predominant groups of coherent magnetizations C-1 and C-2, after simple correction for bedding tilt. The C-1 group magnetization is a stable direction (D=332°, I=+18°) with unblocking temperatures (T_UB) between 550 and 650°C, present in the older Covey Hill Formation; this direction is probably a chemical remanence acquired during the Covey Hill diagenesis and carried predominantly by hematite. The C-2 group magnetization (D=322°, I=+9°) is present at 13 sites of the younger Cha?teauguay Formation; this is probably carried by magnetite and represents a penecontemporaneous, depositional DRM, characterized by T_UB spectra 400–550°C. We believe that C-2 is relatively younger than C-1 based on a combination of arguments such as the presence of opposite polarities, internal consistency, similarity and common occurrence of C-1 and C-2 respectively in the Covey Hill and Cha?teauguay members. The corresponding paleomagnetic poles C-1 (46°N, 149°E; dp, dm=3°, 5°) and C-2 (37°N, 156°E; dp, dm=2°, 5°) are not significantly different from most of the other Late Cambrian (Dresbachian-Franconian) poles derived from sediments exposed in the southern region (Texas) of the North American craton which are also believed to have been deposited during Croixian Sauk sea transgression similar to the Potsdam sandstones. Although adequate faunal control is lacking (in particular for the Covey Hill Formation), this comparison with the Cratonic poles suggests a Late Cambrian age to the Potsdam poles. The agreement between the results also gives the evidence for internal consistency of cratonic poles at least for Late Cambrian.The incoherent C-3 group remanence (D=250°, I=?15°) is commonly present at 7 sites in both the formations; this may not correspond to a reliable paleomagnetic signal. The other remanence C-4 (D=180°, I=+10°) is found only at 3 sites located in the uppermost stratigraphic levels of the Cha?teauguay Formation; the corresponding paleomagnetic pole (40°N, 107°E) does not differ significantly from the Ordovician and some Late Cambrian poles. The present data are insufficient to resolve a problem in apparent polar wander for Middle and Late Cambrian time posed by the existence of high-latitude poles for some strata of Middle Cambrian age and low-latitude poles for some strata of Late Cambrian age.     

Paleomagnetism of red beds of Early Devonian age from Central Iran

Paleomagnetic results are reported from 13 sites of red beds of Early Devonian age from Central Iran. Detailed paleomagnetic analyses were carried out. Two types of partial progressive demagnetization were applied, one using alternating magnetic fields, the other heating. These procedures resulted in the detection of the characteristic remanences with a mean direction with D = 24.2°, I = 1.3° (α₉₅ = 10.1°). The paleomagnetic pole is located at 51.3°N, 163.7°W. If one shifts the Iranian landmass to its most likely position in the Gondwana configuration, then the position of the paleomagnetic pole coincides with the alternative polar wander path [14,15] which crossed South America in early Middle Paleozoic times.     

Paleomagnetism of a Paleozoic anorthosite from the Appalachian Piedmont,northern Delaware: possible tectonic implications

Two components of magnetization have been observed in fourty-four samples (five sites) of the anorthosites in the Arden Pluton. One component, withD = 325°,I = ?75°,k = 32, α₉₅ = 13.6°, was isolated in many samples by progressive alternating field demagnetization and in the remainder of the collection by the use of intersecting great circles of remagnetization. The corresponding pole is located at 16°N, 303°E,dp = 22.7°,dm = 24.9°. Assuming the age of the last metamorphism (Taconic, ca. 440 Ma) of the Cambrian Arden Pluton to be the age of the magnetization, this pole deviates significantly from coeval poles thus far obtained from the North American craton. The preferred explanation for this deviation is that the Arden Pluton and the surrounding Piedmont rocks belonged to a different Early Paleozoic plate on the south or east side of the Iapetus Ocean, most likely the African (Gondwana) plate, and that it was transferred to the North American plate during a subsequent continental collision.     

New paleomagnetic results from Ceno-Mesozoic volcanic rocks along southern rim of the Tarim Basin,China*

Paleomagnetic samples were collected from four localities located in the southern rim of the Tarim basin. The samples were taken from volcanic rocks erupted between Jurassic and Quaternary. Detailed analysis of all samples has been carried out with progressive thermal demagnetization. A characteristic remanence (ChRM) with higher unblocking temperature has been isolated from all samples. The pole position from the middle Jurassic is at 52.5°N, 187.9°E(dp = 3.7°,dm =6.5°); the directions of the ChRM of Cretaceous correspond to a paleopole at 69.7°N, 211.6°E (dp = 9.8°,dm = 15.9°); the Quaternary pole from the Pulu site is at 79. 9°N, 183.1°E(dp = 1.6°.dm =2.4°). On the basis of these new paleomagnetic data, tectonic evolution of Tarim block is presented.     

Palaeomagnetic study of late precambrian rocks of the midland craton of England and Wales

The Precambrian basement of the British region south of the Caledonian orogenic belt is only observed in a few small inliers; this paper reports a detailed paleomagnetic study of four of these inliers. The Stanner-Hanter amphibolitised gabbro-dolerite complex of uncertain age yields a mean direction of magnetisation D = 282°, I = 51° (15 sites,α₉₅ = 11.4°) after AF and thermal cleaning. Uriconian lavas and tuffs (～700-600 m.y.) of the Pontesford and Wrekin inliers require both thermal and AF cleaning for complete analysis of NRM. The former region (Western Uriconian) yields a mean of D = 136°, I = ?25° (6 sites,α₉₅ = 15.3°) and the latter region (Eastern Uriconian) a mean of D = 78°, I = 17° (9 sites, α₉₅ = 12.8°); the Eastern Uriconian shows a marked improvement in precision after a two-stage fold test, and the palaeomagnetic data suggest that some apparent polar movement took place between eruption of the two sequences. The Uriconian rocks in both areas were intruded by dolerites which yield a mean direction of magnetisation D = 72°, I = 54° (11 sites,α₉₅ = 13.2°).The collective data give palaeomagnetic poles related to Upper Proterozoic metamorphic episodes (Stanner-Hanter Complex and Rushton Schist) which are in close agreement with earlier studies of the Malvernian metamorphic rocks, and to the late Precambrian Uriconian volcanic/hypabyssal igneous episode. All of these magnetisations are probably confined to the interval 700-600 m.y., and are indicative of appreciable polar movement during this interval. The palaeomagnetic poles define an apparent polar wander path for this crustal block between Late Precambrian and Lower Cambrian times and show that cratonic Britain south of the Caledonian suture is unrelated to the Baltic Shield.