ALBERT

Beschreibung: Magnetic minerals acquire a remanent magnetization when cooled or warmed in an applied field H through a phase transition. This paper reports the first observations of transition cooling and warming remanent magnetizations (TrCRM and TrWRM) in pyrrhotite (Fe 7 S 8 ) and hematite (αFe 2 O 3 ), with phase transitions at 32 K (Besnus transition) and 250 K (Morin transition). TrWRM was produced by warming in a 2 mT field from 10 to 300 K and TrCRM by cooling in 2 mT from 300 to 10 K. In both experiments, magnetization M was measured at 5 K intervals. The largest changes in M occurred over a 20 K interval flanking the Besnus or Morin transition but substantial changes also occurred away from any transition, presumably due to continuous changes in anisotropy. The triclinic low-temperature phase of pyrrhotite has high remanence efficiency compared to the room-temperature monoclinic phase. When H was zeroed at 300 K, only 35–40% of M survived as TrWRM, but in TrCRM experiments when H was zeroed at 10 K, practically 100% of M was preserved. After zero-field cooling to 10 K, 50–60% of TrWRM was retained but 〈15% of TrCRM survived zero-field warming to 300 K. In hematite, both TrWRM of the room-temperature spin-canted phase and TrCRM of the low-temperature defect phase exist, as shown by net remanence production following complete warming–cooling or cooling–warming cycles between 10 and 300 K. Details of remanence acquisition/demagnetization in crossing the Morin transition could not be resolved, however. Symmetries were observed for both minerals. Single-domain size pyrrhotite crystals had mirror-image field-off and field-on warming curves below 32 K, during TrWRM production/TrCRM loss at the 32 K transition, and up to 150 K. Submicron single-domain hematite had almost complete symmetry between field-off and field-on curves during cooling as well as warming, both below and above the Morin transition but not in the transition region itself. This is the first time that mirror-image symmetries, observed previously for pseudo-single-domain and multidomain magnetite, have been documented for mineral grains in a single-domain state.

Beschreibung: A computational method is given for solving the forward modelling problem for transient electromagnetic exploration. Its key features are the discretization of the quasi-static Maxwell's equations in space using the first-kind family of curl-conforming Nédélec elements combined with time integration using rational Krylov methods. We show how rational Krylov methods can also be used to solve the same problem in the frequency domain followed by a synthesis of the transient solution using the fast Hankel transform, and we argue that the pure time-domain solution is more efficient. We also propose a new surrogate optimization approach for selecting the pole parameters of the rational Krylov method which leads to convergence within an a priori determined number of iterations independent of mesh size and conductivity structure. These poles are repeated in a cyclic fashion, which, in combination with direct solvers for the discrete problem, results in significantly faster solution times than previously proposed schemes.

Beschreibung: In 2010, a wide-angle seismic reflection/refraction profile was acquired along the Hecataeus Rise, an area of shallow seabed immediately south of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean. The profile crossed from the Hecataeus Rise, through the Cyprus Arc to the Levantine Basin beyond. Due to the short length of the profile and the corresponding lack of deep ray coverage, velocity modelling was complemented by gravity modelling to gain constraints on deep crustal structure. The resultant model reveals velocities for the Hecataeus Rise that show no evidence of shallow ophiolites like those seen on mainland Cyprus, and the velocities are not diagnostic of a unique crustal affinity. Low-velocity sediments make up at least 7 km of the upper structure of Hecataeus Rise and these sediments overlie a two-layered crust. From the gravity modelling, the combined sediments and crust of Hecataeus Rise appear to be thinner than the Eratosthenes Seamount block to the southwest. A high-velocity lower crustal block is modelled under the seaward edge of Hecataeus Rise and, based on the gravity modelling, is inferred to extend landwards beneath the Rise. Similar high-velocity blocks were identified on the southwestern edge of Hecataeus Rise along nearby refraction lines and were interpreted as remnant Tethyan oceanic crust, foundered in the Cyprus Arc, along which subduction has ceased in this area. Given the thin two-layered crust beneath a thick accumulation of sediments modelled for Hecataeus Rise, we interpret that Hecataeus Rise represents a collage of oceanic fragments, accreted together within the failed subduction zone. Outboard of the crust of Hecataeus Rise, a 5-km deep low-velocity basin, possibly an accretionary wedge, is imaged that appears to correspond with the Cyprus Arc deformation zone imaged on both coincident and along-strike seismic reflection lines. A similar and wider feature is observed on seismic refraction lines to the west and combined, these may be revealing an eastward tapering zone of crustal deformation. To the south of the profile, the Levantine Basin appears undisturbed by the collision to the north and exhibits a uniform and homogeneous velocity structure.

Beschreibung: The Rogaland Igneous Complex (RIC) in southern Norway intruded into post-Sveconorwegian granulite facies crust ~930 Ma. It includes three massif anorthosites, several small leuconorite bodies and the ~7 km thick norite-quartz mangerite layered Bjerkreim-Sokndal (BKS) intrusion. The intrusion consists of five rhythmic megaunits created by repeated magma influxes topped by a transition zone and more evolved mangerites and quartz mangerites. Over 70 palaeomagnetic sites have been collected in the BKS, sampling all the megacyclic subunits and overlying mangerites. Remanence within the BKS is held in hemo-ilmenite-only rocks (lower parts of the megacyclic units), mixed hemo-ilmenite and magnetite rocks (upper parts of the lower megacyclic units) and magnetite only rocks in the upper highest megacyclic unit and overlying mangerites. Due to the different oxides present magnetic susceptibility varies over four orders of magnitude with a bimodal distribution (mean susceptibility of 6.4 x 10 –3 SI for hemo-ilmenite rocks, and 8.7 x 10 –2 SI for magnetite rocks). NRM values do not show a strong bimodal distribution as many of the rocks lacking magnetite have hemo-ilmenite with strong lamellar magnetism; average NRM for the entire suite is 8.83 A m –1 . All sites within the cyclic part of the intrusion have stable remanence and produce well-clustered site means. Samples from the upper mangerite rocks, dominated by MD magnetite, are commonly unstable and not all sites provide acceptable data. Mean directions for 66 sites spanning the entire intrusion are I = –73.5°, D = 303.4°, with α 95 = 3.7° and k = 24. The resulting pole position is at 35.9°S and 217.9°E, with a palaeolatitude for this part of Baltica of –59.4°. Examination of the magnetic mineralogy combined with geochronology for RIC rocks and cooling rates for the region yields an age of magnetization of 916 Ma. Metamorphic country rocks yield similar directions at least 10 km from the contact, confirming the presence of a contact aureole around the intrusion. Comparison to other early Neoproterozoic palaeomagnetic poles from southern Scandinavia confirms the high southern latitude position of Baltica at this time, and combined with the few other ~900 Ma poles from Baltica affirm the presence of the Rodinia supercontinent at this time.

Beschreibung: The Internal Sierras (IS) in the southern margin of the Western and Central Axial Zone (Southern Pyrenees) are affected by a syn-orogenic remagnetization that provides information to reconstruct deformation geometries at the time of acquisition of magnetization. Furthermore, the IS structure changes strike along its structural trend, from ~N120 to 130°E in the western and eastern margins to ~N070–090°E in the central part. Palaeomagnetic techniques have been used to (i) accurately define the timing of remagnetization with regard to deformation and (ii) determine if the along-strike trend variation in the IS was induced by deformation and thrust emplacement during the Pyrenean compression or, on the contrary, was the result of a primary orientation controlled by structures inherited from pre-orogenic times. From 23 new palaeomagnetic sites, collected in Upper Cretaceous marls and marly limestones, two meaningful and stable palaeomagnetic components were resolved, principally carried by magnetite: (1) a lower-temperature component (B) that unblocks between 200 °C and 325–400 °C and (2) a higher-temperature component (C) that has been successfully isolated by means of combined thermal (up to 400 °C) and AF demagnetization (generally up to 50–100 mT). The B component is a late remagnetization that post-dates folding and emplacement of basement thrust sheets in the IS (mainly the Gavarnie thrust). It supports small but statistically significant clockwise rotations in the western part of the IS (from +18 to +26°). These rotations can be attributed to the westwards shortening decrease in the thrust system below the Gavarnie unit that results from its along-strike structural change, with a higher number of basement thrusts to the east. The C component has been interpreted as an early remagnetization, based on the results of conglomerate and fold tests. This component predates basement thrusting and is diachronous across the study area: reverse and normal polarities dominate in the eastern and western margins of the IS, respectively. New and previous palaeomagnetic data point out that curvature in the IS is probably a primary feature and the along-strike change in their trend could be interpreted as the result of basement geometrical features inherited from Variscan, Late Variscan or Mesozoic times. A complex, multi-episodic remagnetization probably related to burial and deformation processes occurred during Eocene times.

Beschreibung: A comprehensive magnetic field model named CM5 has been derived from CHAMP, Ørsted and SAC-C satellite and observatory hourly-means data from 2000 August to 2013 January using the Swarm Level-2 Comprehensive Inversion (CI) algorithm. Swarm is a recently launched constellation of three satellites to map the Earth's magnetic field. The CI technique includes several interesting features such as the bias mitigation scheme known as Selective Infinite Variance Weighting (SIVW), a new treatment for attitude error in satellite vector measurements, and the inclusion of 3-D conductivity for ionospheric induction. SIVW has allowed for a much improved lithospheric field recovery over CM4 by exploiting CHAMP along-track difference data yielding resolution levels up to spherical harmonic degree 107, and has allowed for the successful extraction of the oceanic M 2 tidal magnetic field from quiet, nightside data. The 3-D induction now captures anomalous Solar-quiet features in coastal observatory daily records. CM5 provides a satisfactory, continuous description of the major magnetic fields in the near-Earth region over this time span, and its lithospheric, ionospheric and oceanic M 2 tidal constituents may be used as validation tools for future Swarm Level-2 products coming from the CI algorithm and other dedicated product algorithms.

Beschreibung: The observation of electromagnetic signals by ocean bottom electromagnetometers in association with the Tohoku tsunami of 2011 March 11 has raised the opportunity to re-examine the physics of motional induction due to oceanic long waves in the framework of 1-D magnetotellurics (MT). Although a propagating tsunami has a complex structure, the induced electromagnetic field can be simply approximated as a plane wave (though a simple thin-sheet approximation is not valid at higher frequencies). We found that the MT impedance due to a surface gravity wave (or the ‘motional impedance’) is influenced largely by the dispersion of the wave if the period is sufficiently short or the electrical conductivity of the seabed is low. The tipper due to the motional induction (or the ‘motional tipper’) and motional impedance are essentially identical if the underneath structure is 1-D. It would be possible to estimate the motional impedance and tipper from the observed ocean bottom electromagnetic field at the time of passing of a tsunami. The wave amplitude must be much greater than several tens of centimetres for the motional impedance and tipper estimation to be free from the effects of external sources. However, the obtained motional impedance and tipper will mostly represent the property of the wave and use of them may not be suitable to discuss the subseafloor conductivity structure.

Beschreibung: The lacustrine deposits in Heqing basin provide an excellent archive for long-term high-resolution palaeoclimate studies in the monsoon-dominated southeastern Tibetan Plateau region. In this study, we investigate the climatic significance of magnetic parameters for analysing the variability of the past climate. For this, we performed comprehensive time-series and statistical analysis on previously published proxy data from a 168-m-long drill core (Core-HQ) that spans ~900–30 ka, comprising mainly magnetic parameters and carbonate content (CC). Moreover, we investigated magnetic properties of modern soil in the catchment that predominantly formed on limestone bedrock. Key findings are: (1) modern soils and sediments of Core-HQ both contain a mixture of magnetite (Mt), maghemite (Mgh) and hematite (Ht), but magnetic concentration of the soils is one order higher; (2) a superparamagnetic (SP) fraction of Mt/Mgh dominates in the soils whereas in Core-HQ the SP contribution is generally very low; (3) a larger grain-size fraction of Mt/Mgh and Ht is also present in the soils. We explain variations of magnetic concentration and CC in Core-HQ by an increased wind transport of soil and a decreased surface water transport of carbonate and soil in less humid periods. Low-temperature oxidation of magnetite in the catchment is as another crucial process that reflects weathering conditions and is likely sensitive to humidity; the degree of LTO can be semi-quantified by the magnetic parameters ARM/SIRM and S -ratio. Combining CC, ARM/SIRM and S -ratio values, we derive a weathering intensity (WI). The WI index variation along Core-HQ shows strong fluctuations on a 100-kyr eccentricity scale in the lower part, especially during ~630–380 ka, followed by a long period (~320–80 ka) of persistently weaker weathering (drier?) conditions with low variability, and a rapid return of much stronger weathering (wetter?) conditions at ~80 ka. We suggest that a reduced influence of the Indian summer monsoon accounts for less moisture supply to the region and lower climatic variability.

Beschreibung: Magnetic mineralogy of crustal rocks has important implications for understanding continental crustal evolution and origin of regional magnetic anomalies. However, magnetic properties of the deep continental crust are still poorly understood. In this paper, measurements of density ( ), mass-specific magnetic susceptibility ( ), natural remanent magnetization (NRM) and magnetic hysteresis loops, temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility ( – T ), chemical and mineral analyses were conducted on Archean gneiss samples from the Jixian petrophysical section in the Precambrian terrain, northeastern North China Craton, with the aim of refining understanding of magnetic phase transformations in the deep crustal rocks. Results show that density and rock magnetic properties change distinctly with metamorphic facies. The dominant magnetic mineral is magnetite, while a little hematite is present in a few samples. Together with geochemical and mineralogical compositions, it is inferred that progressive increase in metamorphic grade from east to west is the major cause for magnetic enhancement of the lower crust in the studied section. Therefore, we conclude that study of magnetic phases of deep crustal rocks can offer important insights into the history of high metamorphic grade terranes.

Beschreibung: The C -response is a conventional transfer function in global electromagnetic induction research and is traditionally determined from observations of magnetic variations in the vertical and horizontal components. Its interpretation relies on the assumption that the source of the variations is well approximated by a large-scale symmetric (magnetospheric) ring current, described by a single spherical harmonic. However, there is growing evidence for a more complex structure of this source. In this paper, we investigate the variability of C -responses due to sources different from the dominating large-scale symmetric ring current. We show that the effect is significant and persists at all periods. Describing the magnetospheric source by a single spherical harmonic coefficient thus injects substantial errors into the estimated responses. To overcome the problem, we introduce arrays of alternative transfer functions that relate the components of the magnetic variation to different spherical harmonic coefficients. These transfer functions can handle a complex spatial structure of the magnetospheric source. Compared to C -responses, we observe a significant increase in the coherencies relating input and output quantities of the new transfer functions, especially at high latitudes. This increases the usability of observatory magnetic data for the recovery of global 3-D mantle conductivity structure.

Beschreibung: Magnetic mineralogy of crustal rocks has important implications for understanding continental crustal evolution and origin of regional magnetic anomalies. However, magnetic properties of the deep continental crust are still poorly understood. In this paper, measurements of density ( ), mass-specific magnetic susceptibility ( ), natural remanent magnetization (NRM) and magnetic hysteresis loops, temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility ( – T ), chemical and mineral analyses were conducted on Archean gneiss samples from the Jixian petrophysical section in the Precambrian terrain, northeastern North China Craton, with the aim of refining understanding of magnetic phase transformations in the deep crustal rocks. Results show that density and rock magnetic properties change distinctly with metamorphic facies. The dominant magnetic mineral is magnetite, while a little hematite is present in a few samples. Together with geochemical and mineralogical compositions, it is inferred that progressive increase in metamorphic grade from east to west is the major cause for magnetic enhancement of the lower crust in the studied section. Therefore, we conclude that study of magnetic phases of deep crustal rocks can offer important insights into the history of high metamorphic grade terranes.