Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic data from IODP Site U1308

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1308 (central North Atlantic) records paleomagnetic directional and relative paleointensity (RPI) variations for the last 1.5 Myr, in 110 m of the sediment sequence at a mean sedimentation rate of 7.3 cm/kyr. A detailed benthic oxygen isotope record was combined with RPI to produce an integrated, high-resolution magneto-isotopic stratigraphy for Site U1308. Apart from the well-known polarity reversals in this interval, the Punaruu excursion is recorded at 1092 ka and the Cobb Mountain Subchron in the 1182-1208 ka interval. The paleointensity proxies are determined as slopes of NRM versus ARM and NRM versus ARMAQ (ARM acquisition) with linear correlation coefficients to monitor the quality of the linear fit. The RPI record for Site U1308 is compared with the three other paleointensity records (one from the Western Equatorial Pacific and two from the North Atlantic) that cover the same time interval and have accompanying oxygen isotope records. The Match protocol of Lisiecki and Lisiecki (2002) is used to optimize the correlation of paleointensity records. Beginning with the original (published) age models for each record, the Match routine is used to optimize the RPI correlations to Site U1308, with checks to ensure compatibility with oxygen isotope records. Squared wavelet coherence (WTC) indicates significant improvement in RPI (and oxygen isotope) correlations after matching each RPI record to Site U1308, particularly for periods > 10 kyr. The level of coherence for the Atlantic RPI records and the lower resolution Pacific record implies synchronous global variability (at scales > 10 kyr) that can be attributed to the axial dipole geomagnetic field.

Paleomagnetic of ODP Leg 101 sites

Paleomagnetic measurements were made on 913 samples from 11 holes (626B, 626C, 627B, 628A, 630A, 631A, 632A, 632B, 633A, 634A, and 635B) drilled in and around the Bahamas carbonate bank during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 101. These samples displayed a wide range of magnetic intensities (from about 1.0 A/m to 1.6 * 10**- 6 A/m) and magnetic behavior. Most samples were weakly magnetized and had low mean destructive fields; however, sediments from sections of several holes were strongly magnetic with stable magnetizations. Magnetic-polarity interpretations were made on a Campanian unit from Hole 627B, a mid-Oligocene unit from Hole 628A, and a Plio-Pleistocene section from Hole 633A. Sediments in the upper parts of Holes 627B, 632A, and 633A have high magnetic intensities that decay 2 to 3 orders of magnitude over depths of 5 to 18 mbsf. The pattern of decline of the magnetism and the change in mean destructive fields and geochemical conditions in these holes are consistent with diagenetic dissolution of the magnetic minerals in a suboxic or anoxic-sulfidic environment. Paleolatitudes were calculated from samples from 16 time units in 7 holes and compared to the apparent polar wander path of the North American plate.

Paleomagnetic of ODP Leg 133 holes

Paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic analyses from discrete samples of carbonate sites on the Queensland Plateau were used to determine magnetic polarity reversal stratigraphy and the nature of magnetization in these sediments. Magnetic polarity zones were correlated with the geomagnetic polarity time scale in the upper portions of cores at Sites 812 through 814, usually back to a late Pliocene age. Loss of reliable directional data was coincidental with a major decrease in magnetic intensity, below which, no stable polarity zones could be identified. The intensity reduction is either an in-situ alteration of magnetic grains, or an input signal representing progressive increase in the magnetic component of Queensland Plateau sediments. Although not conclusive at this point, the geochemical conditions and differing age of intensity reduction support the former hypothesis. Rock-magnetic analysis of carbonate sediments suggests that ultrafine-grained magnetite or maghemite crystals is an important carrier of remanence and may be biogenic in origin. Application of a recently calibrated anhysteretic remanent magnetization test to assess configuration of single-domain crystal within a natural matrix indicates that cementation (ooze-chalk-limestone) may be important in post-depositional changes affecting magnetostatic grain interaction.

Magnetic properties of Triassic sediments of the Wombat Plateau

During drilling at Sites 759, 760, and 761 of Leg 122 (Exmouth Plateau, northwest Australia), a thick section of Upper Triassic sediments was recovered. Paleomagnetic analyses were made on 398 samples from Holes 759B, 760A, 760B, and 761C. Progressive thermal demagnetization, alternating field demagnetization, or mixed treatment removed an initial unstable component and isolated a characteristic remanent magnetization which is of normal or reversed polarity. The magnetostratigraphic results allow us to propose a magnetic polarity sequence which extends from the upper Carnian to lower Rhaetian. This sequence reveals many more reversals than previously suggested from paleomagnetic studies. The magnetostratigraphic data also allow us to suggest correlations between Sites 759 and 760.

Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic characterization of ODP Leg 210 cores

We conducted an integrated paleomagnetic and rock magnetic study on cores recovered from Ocean Drilling Program Sites 1276 and 1277 of the Newfoundland Basin. Stable components of magnetization are determined from Cretaceous-aged sedimentary and basement cores after detailed thermal and alternating-field demagnetization. Results from a series of rock magnetic measurements corroborate the demagnetization behavior and show that titanomagnetites are the main magnetic carrier. In view of the normal polarity of magnetization and radiometric dates for the sills at Site 1276 (~98 and ~105 Ma, both within the Cretaceous Normal Superchron) and for a gabbro intrusion in peridotite at Site 1277 (~126 Ma, Chron M1), our results suggest that the primary magnetization of the Cretaceous rocks is likely retained in these rocks. The overall magnetic inclination of lithologic Unit 2 in Hole 1277A between 143 and 180 meters below seafloor is 38°, implying significant (~35° counterclockwise, viewed to the north) rotation of the basement around a horizontal axis parallel to the rift axis (010°). The paleomagnetic rotational estimates should help refine models for the tectonic evolution of the basement. The mean inclinations for Sites 1276 and 1277 rocks imply paleolatitudes of 30.3° ± 5.1° and 22.9° ± 12.0°, respectively, with the latter presumably influenced by tectonic rotation. These values are consistent with those inferred from the mid-Cretaceous reference poles for North America, suggesting that the inclination determinations are reliable and consistent with a drill site on a location in the North America plate since at least the mid-Cretaceous. The combined paleolatitude results from Leg 210 sites indicate that the Newfoundland Basin was some 1800 km south of its current position in the mid-Cretaceous. Assuming a constant rate of motion, the paleolatitude data would suggest a rate of 12.1 mm/yr for the interval from ~130 Ma (Site 1276 age) to present, and 19.6 mm/yr for the interval from 126 Ma (Site 1277 age) to recent. The paleolatitude and rotational data from this study are consistent with the possibility that Site 1276 may have passed over the Canary and Madeira hotspots that formed the Newfoundland Seamounts in the mid-Cretaceous.

Paleomagnetic and biostratigraphic properties and datums of ODP Leg 173 and Leg 149 sites

We have conducted an integrated paleomagnetic and biostratigraphic study on the Cenozoic sedimentary sequences of the southern Iberia Abyssal Plain margin, focusing on Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Sites 897, 898, 900, 1067, 1068, and 1069. Reliable magnetostratigraphy from these six sites is presented in this paper. Sedimentary sections from Holes 897C, 898A, 900A, 1067A, 1068A, and 1069A have recorded a pattern of magnetic polarity reversals that correlates well with the known magnetic polarity timescale for the past 56 m.y. The polarity patterns from the Pliocene-Pleistocene turbidite sequence at the Leg 149 sites show that a reliable magnetostratigraphy can be established from the early Pliocene to Holocene, including the Gilbert/Gauss boundary (3.58 m.y.) through the Matuyama/Brunhes boundary (0.78 m.y.). On the basis of distinct intervals of magnetic reversal zones and biostratigraphic datums, five magnetozones (C21n-C25n) can be recognized at the three Leg 173 sites that range from middle Eocene to late Paleocene in age. The magnetostratigraphy of the Iberia sections allows the determination of sedimentation rates and better constraints on the timing of deformation. Combining the age and average inclination information available from the magnetostratigraphy, we also present paleolatitudes vs. time for the Iberia drill sites.

Paleomagnetic of Jurassic basalts from ODP Hole 129-801C

The paleomagnetic and rock magnetic properties of 51 Jurassic basalts from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 801C have been examined. Magnetic properties vary with lithologic composition; alkalic rocks and hydrothermally-altered tholeiites are much weaker in intensity and generally contain higher coercivity magnetic components than the older and less-altered tholeiites at the base of the hole. For the entire column, the Jurassic basalts have an average initial natural remanent magnetization (NRM) intensity of approximately 1.24 A/m and average median destructive fields (MDF) of 8.31 mT. These values and the mean Koenigsberger ratio of 1.7 are very similar to results obtained for Jurassic basalts from the Atlantic (DSDP Leg 76). The similarities suggest that the basalts of both sites and their remanence characteristics are representative of Jurassic oceanic crust. The most profound discovery in these samples was the presence of 5 inclination zones, each showing consistent positive (or negative) polarity opposite the overlying and underlying polarity bands. We interpret these to represent a record of change in polarity of the EarthÆs magnetic field and, because of the large number over such a short interval (60 m) of crust, we assert that the rapid change in polarity during the Jurassic is the probable reason behind the origin of the Jurassic Quiet Zone.

Middle Eocene-Early Pliocene Subantarctic planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphy of ODP Site 1090 on the Agulhas Ridge, South Atlantic

The analysis of planktic foraminiferal assemblages from Site 1090 (ODP Leg 177), located in the central part of the Subantarctic Zone south of South Africa, provided a geochronology of a 330-m-thick sequence spanning the Middle Eocene to Early Pliocene. A sequence of discrete bioevents enables the calibration of the Antarctic Paleogene (AP) Zonation with lower latitude biozonal schemes for the Middle-Late Eocene interval. In spite of the poor recovery of planktic foraminiferal assemblages, a correlation with the lower latitude standard planktic foraminiferal zonations has been attempted for the whole surveyed interval. Identified bioevents have been tentatively calibrated to the geomagnetic polarity time scale following the biochronology of Berggren et al. (1995). Besides planktic foraminiferal bioevents, the disappearance of the benthic foraminifera Nuttallides truempyi has been used to approximate the Middle/Late Eocene boundary. A hiatus of at least 11.7 Myr occurs between V78 and V71 m composite depth extending from the Early Miocene to the latest Miocene-Early Pliocene. Middle Eocene assemblages exhibit a temperate affinity, while the loss of several planktic foraminiferal species by late Middle to early Late Eocene time reflects cooling. During the Late Eocene-Oligocene intense dissolution caused impoverishment of planktic foraminiferal assemblages possibly following the emplacement of cold, corrosive bottom waters. Two warming peaks are, however, observed: the late Middle Eocene is marked by the invasion of the warmer water Acarinina spinuloinflata and Hantkenina alabamensis at 40.5 Ma, while the middle Late Eocene experienced the immigration of some globigerinathekids including Globigerinatheka luterbacheri and Globigerinatheka cf. semiinvoluta at 34.3 Ma. A more continuous record is observed for the Early Miocene and the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene where planktic foraminiferal assemblages show a distinct affinity with southern mid- to high-latitude faunas.

Orbital control on carbonate-lignite cycles on sediment core KAP-107 in the Ptolemais Basin, northern Greece

Time control is essential for the reconstruction of geological processes. We use a combination of relative and absolute methods to establish the chronology and related paleoclimatic processes for Late Neogene lacustrine sediment from the Ptolemais Basin, northern Greece. We determined changes in magnetic polarity and correlated them to the global magnetic polarity time scale, which again is calibrated by radiometric methods, to provide a low-resolution age model for the Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene (7 - 3 Ma). Sedimentary successions show rhythmic alterations of lignites, clays, and marls. Using photospetrometry we measured this variability at 1-cm resolution, and correlated the pattern to known changes in earth's orbital parameters, namely to eccentricity and precession. For 230-m long borehole KAP-107 from the Amynteon Sub-Basin we obtained a high-resolution age model that spans 2 myr from 5.1 to 3.1 Ma, with age control points at insolation maxima (20-kyr resolution). We recommend using photospectrometry as reliable tool to establish orbital-based chronologies and to reconstruct paleoclimate variability at high resolution.

Neogene planktonic foraminifera from the southern Kerguelen Plateau

With the exception of a brief (2 m.y.) late Miocene-early Pliocene hiatus, an essentially complete Neogene record was recovered on the Kerguelen Plateau in a calcareous biofacies. The stratigraphic distribution of about 30 taxa of Neogene planktonic foraminifers recovered at Sites 747, 748,and 751 (Central and Southern Kerguelen plateaus; approximately 54°-58°S) is recorded. Faunas are characterized by low diversity and high dominance and exhibit a gradual decline in species numbers (reflecting a concomitant increase in biosiliceous forms, particularly diatoms) from about 10 in the early Miocene to 5-8 in the middle Miocene, 3-4 in the late Miocene, to essentially a lone (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma) form in the Pliocene-Pleistocene. A provisional sevenfold biostratigraphic zonation has been formulated that, together with the recovery of a representative Neogene magnetostratigraphic record, may ultimately lead to a correlation with low-latitude magnetobiostratigraphies. The initial appearance of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma is associated with magnetic polarity Chron (MPC) 4 (~7 Ma) and MPC 4A (>8 Ma) at Sites 747 and 751, respectively.

Magnetostratigraphy of ODP Leg 107 holes

Apart from Site 650, core disturbance due to rotary drilling severely compromised the quality of the magnetostratigraphic data obtained from Leg 107 sediments. The correlation of polarity zones to the geomagnetic polarity time scale cannot be made solely on the basis of pattern fit. The proposed correlations are consistent between sites, and this consistency is constrained by the biostratigraphic datums. The resulting biomagnetostratigraphic correlations are reviewed in the synthesis section of this volume. The purpose of this paper is to document the magnetic stratigraphies, and present the preferred correlation to the geomagnetic reversal time scale. Four implications of the proposed correlations are: (1) The Mio-Pliocene boundary occurs in the lowest reversed interval of the Gilbert (Chron 3r) at about 4.9 Ma. (2) The thick pre-Pliocene lacustrine sequence recovered at Site 652 appears to have been deposited entirely within a single reversed polarity chron (Chron 3r). (3) The balatino-type gypsum recovered at Site 654 was also deposited entirely within this polarity chron (Chron 3r). (4) The Tortonian-Messinian boundary occurs within a normal polarity zone which is probably correlative to Chron 6 (Chron 3B) giving a boundary age of about 6.4 Ma.

Miocene stable isotope stratigraphy of ODP Hole 120-747A

We correlated Miocene d18O increases at Ocean Drilling Program Site 747 with d18O increases previously identified at North Atlantic Deep Sea Drilling Project Sites 563 and 608. The d18O increases have been directly tied to the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS) at Site 563 and 608, and thus our correlations at Site 747 provide a second-order correlation to the GPTS. Comparison of the oxygen isotope record at Site 747 with records at Sites 563 and 608 indicates that three as-yet-undescribed global Miocene d18O increases may be recognized and used to define stable isotope zones. The d18O maxima associated with the bases of Zones Mila, Milb, and Mi7 have magnetochronologic age estimates of 21.8, 18.3, and 8.5 Ma, respectively. The correlation of a d18O maximum at 70 mbsf at Site 747 to the base of Miocene isotope Zone Mi3 (13.6 Ma) provides a revised interpretation of four middle Miocene normal polarity intervals observed between 77 and 63 mbsf at Hole 747A. Oxygen isotope stratigraphy indicates that the reversed polarity interval at 70 mbsf, initially interpreted as Chronozone C5AAr, should be C5ABr. Instead of a concatenated Chronozone C5AD-C5AC with distinct Chronozones C5AB, C5AA, and C5A (as in the preliminary interpretation), d18O stratigraphy suggests that these normal polarity intervals are Chronozones C5AD, C5AC, and C5AB, whereas Chronozones C5AA-C5A are concatenated. This interpretation is supported by the d13C correlations. The upper Miocene magnetostratigraphic record at Hole 747A is ambiguous. Two upper Miocene d18O events at Site 747 can be correlated to the oxygen isotope records at Site 563 and 608 using the magnetostratigraphy derived at Hole 747B. Our chronostratigraphic revisions highlight the importance of stable isotope stratigraphy in attaining an integrated stratigraphic framework for the Miocene.