Coaxial deformed and magnetic fabrics without simply correlated magnitudes of principal values

Results of a detailed strain analysis of accretionary lapilli in the Borrowdale Volcanic sequence of England indicate a bedding-memory component to the rock's fabric. A simple, new strain analysis method uses variation in thickness of lapilli rims and appears not to be influenced by the bedding fabric. The orientations of the principal magnetic susceptibilities show a strong correlation with the principal strain orientations, as in other studies, but we can detect no correlation between strain magnitudes and principal susceptibility magnitudes in the same small specimens.     

A note on sand dyke orientations

The techniques of the statistics of directional data are applied to the orientations of sand dykes and bedding in strata unaffected by significant penetrative tectonic strain or compaction. From the records of the orientations of both bedding and sand dykes in 578 individual cases it is shown that the mean bedding-dyke dihedral angle for each group of dykes recorded in the literature ranged from 87.7 to 89.6°. The hypothesis is accepted that these dykes tended to form perpendicular to bedding. This has beneficial implications for their use as strain markers in compaction studies and in tectonic strain analysis.     

Tectonic strain of a deformed conglomerate determined from a single pebble

Individual rounded pebbles of schist or foliated gneiss included in a conglomerate can each be used as strain markers when the conglomerate has been deformed subsequently. The shape, orientation and the attitude of the earlier schistosity within a single pebble allow one to determine the strain ratio assuming passive behaviour during deformation. The method may also be applicable to certain individual lava pillows containing paleo-horizontal “lava-level” markers.     

Differences in paleomagnetic interpretations due to the choice of statistical, demagnetization and correction techniques: Kapuskasing Structural Zone, northern Ontario, Canada

The Kapuskasing Structural Zone (KSZ) reveals a section through the Archean lower crustal granoblastic gneisses. Our new paleomagnetic data largely agree with previous work but we show that interpretations vary according to the choices of statistical, demagnetization and field-correction techniques. First, where the orientation distribution of characteristic remanence directions on the sphere is not symmetrically circular, the commonly used statistical model is invalid [Fisher, R.A., Proc. R. Soc. A217 (1953) 295]. Any tendency to form an elliptical distribution indicates that the sample is drawn from a Bingham-type population [Bingham, C., 1964. Distributions on the sphere and on the projective plane. PhD thesis, Yale University]. Fisher and Bingham statistics produce different confidence estimates from the same data and the traditionally defined mean vector may differ from the maximum eigenvector of an orthorhombic Bingham distribution. It seems prudent to apply both models wherever a non-Fisher population is suspected and that may be appropriate in any tectonized rocks. Non-Fisher populations require larger sample sizes so that focussing on individual sites may not be the most effective policy in tectonized rocks. More dispersed sampling across tectonic structures may be more productive. Second, from the same specimens, mean vectors isolated by thermal and alternating field (AF) demagnetization differ. Which treatment gives more meaningful results is difficult to decipher, especially in metamorphic rocks where the history of the magnetic minerals is not easily related to the ages of tectonic and petrological events. In this study, thermal demagnetization gave lower inclinations for paleomagnetic vectors and thus more distant paleopoles. Third, of more parochial significance, tilt corrections may be unnecessary in the KSZ because magnetic fabrics and thrust ramp are constant in orientation to the depth at which they level off, at approximately 15-km depth. With Archean geothermal gradients, primary remanences were blocked after the foliation was tilted to rise on the thrust ramp. Therefore, the rocks were probably magnetized in their present orientation; tilting largely or entirely predates magnetization.     

Do reduction spots predate finite strain? A magnetic diagnosis of Cambrian slates in North Wales

The purple Cambrian slates of North Wales contain green-colored, irregular patches drawn out along cleavage and the more familiar ellipsoidal reduction spots that are parallel to cleavage. Because parallelism of pre-strain ellipsoids could only be produced by extremely high strain, we reject the hypothesis that these are strain markers. Here, we use magnetic methods to resolve this argument. The magnetic analysis reveals that the magnetic fabric of purple slate differs from the green variety of the slate only in the oxidation state, and indicates that the reduction process postdates cleavage. This suggests that the shape of reduction spots reflects the anisotropy of diffusion during reduction, not finite strain and alignment of an initially ellipsoidal object in the slates.     

Tectonically deformed pillow lava as an indicator of bedding and way-up

Often the outlines of tectonically deformed lava pillows cannot be used to give directly the true bedding and way-up directions. Where the pillows are strained homogeneously, with moderate total strains, certain procedures allow the determination of the true bedding and way-up directions. Where the strain history has been coaxial, these are: the use of pillows fortuitously parallel with a principal extension direction and graphical restoration of pre-tectonic pillow shapes to fix true bedding directions. Furthermore, use may be made of special pillow shapes with flat bases or multiple cusps, even where the strain history has been noncoaxial. With total strain ratios > 4.5, heterogeneous strain often occurs and it may not be possible to determine the true bedding and way-up directions.