ISSN:
1365-246X
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Geosciences
Notes:
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
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1996.tb04045.x
