Paleomagnetism and magnetic anomalies in Iceland

The paper reviews several aspects of paleomagnetic research on Icelandic rocks in past decades, with emphasis on studies of remanence directions in composite lava sections of 1–15 Ma age. We first describe briefly the physical basis of this research and experimental techniques, and list the major studies carried out so far. This is followed by a discussion of the internal consistency of directional results, effects of alteration on magnetic properties, rates of buildup of the lava pile, and the use of paleomagnetic reversals and excursions in stratigraphic mapping. Another section of the paper discusses some contributions which paleomagnetic research in Iceland has made to knowledge of properties of the geomagnetic field.A final section is devoted to regional magnetic surveys over Iceland and the surrounding shelf, giving examples of how their results have revealed various features of geological structures in that area. Knowledge of the magnetization of basement rocks aids in the interpretation of the magnetic anomalies, but more detailed and comprehensive studies of these structures are needed.