Low-temperature magnetic remanence and hysteresis measurements on sediment core GeoB4901-8 from the Niger deep-sea fan

Low-temperature (LT) magnetic remanence and hysteresis measurements, in the range 300-5 K, were combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) in order to characterize the magnetic inventory of strongly diagenetically altered sediments originating from the Niger deep-sea fan. We demonstrate the possibility of distinguishing between different compositions of members of the magnetite-ulvöspinel and ilmenite-hematite solid solution series on a set of five representative samples, two from the upper suboxic and three from the lower sulfidic anoxic zone of gravity core GeoB 4901. Highly sensitive LT magnetic measurements were performed on magnetic extracts resulting in large differences in the magnetic behavior between samples from the different layers. This emphasizes that both Fe-Ti oxide phases occur in different proportions in the two geochemical environments. Most prominent are variations in the coercivity sensitive parameter coercive field (BC). At room-temperature (RT) hysteresis loops for all extracts are narrow and yield low coercivities (6-13 mT). With decreasing temperature the loops become more pronounced and wider. At 5 K an approximately 5-fold increase in BC for the suboxic samples contrasts a 20-25-fold increase for the samples from the anoxic zone. We demonstrate that this distinct increase in BC at LT corresponds to the increasing proportion of the Ti-rich hemoilmenite phase, while Fe-rich (titano-)magnetite dominates the magnetic signal at RT. This trend is also seen in the room-temperature saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (RT-SIRM) cycles: suboxic samples show remanence curves dominated by Fe-rich mineral phases while anoxic samples display curves clearly dominated by Ti-rich particles. We show that the EDS intensity ratios of the characteristic Fe Kalpha and Ti Kalpha lines of the Fe-Ti oxides may be used to differentiate between members of the magnetite-ulvöspinel and ilmenite-hematite solid solution series. Furthermore it is possible to calculate an approximate composition for each grain if the intensity ratios of natural particles are linked to well-known standards. Thus, element spectra with high Fe/Ti intensity ratios were found to be rather typical of titanomagnetite while low Fe/Ti ratios are indicative of hemoilmenite. The EDS analyses confirm the LT magnetic results, Fe-rich magnetic phases dominate in the upper suboxic environment whereas Ti-rich magnetic phases comprise the majority of particles in the lower anoxic domain: The mineral assemblage of the upper suboxic environments is composed of magnetite (~19%), titanomagnetite (~62%), hemoilmenite (~17%) and ~2% other particles. In the lower anoxic sediments, reductive diagenetic alteration has resulted in more extensive depletion of the (titano-)magnetite phase, resulting in a relative enrichment of the hemoilmenite phase (~66%). In these strongly anoxic sediments stoichiometric magnetite is barely preserved and only ~5% titanomagnetite was detected. The remaining ~28% comprises Ti-rich particles such as pseudobrookite or rutile.

Paleomagnetic analysed of two sediment cores off Cape Ghir

Holocene records documenting variations in direction and intensity of the geomagnetic field during the last about seven and a half millennia are presented for Northwest Africa. High resolution paleomagnetic analyses of two marine sediment sequences recovered from around 900 meter water depth on the upper continental slope off Cape Ghir (30°51'N, 10°16'W) were supplemented by magnetic measurements characterizing composition, concentration, grain size and coercivity of the magnetic mineral assemblage. Age control for the high sedimentation rate deposits (~60 cm/kyr) was established by AMS radiocarbon dates. The natural remanent magnetization (NRM) is very predominantly carried by a fine grained, mostly single domain (titano-)magnetite fraction allowing the reliable definition of stable NRM inclinations and declinations from alternating field demagnetization and principal component analysis. Predictions of the Korte and Constable (2005) geomagnetic field model CALS7K.2 for the study area are in fair agreement with the Holocene directional records for the most parts, yet noticeable differences exist in some intervals. The magnetic mineral inventory of the sediments reveals various climate controlled variations, specifically in concentration and grain size. A very strong impact had the mid-Holocene environmental change from humid to arid conditions on the African continent which also clearly affects relative paleointensity (RPI) estimates based on different remanence normalizers. To overcome this problem the pseudo-Thellier RPI technique has been applied. The results represent the first Holocene record of Earth's magnetic field intensity variations in the NW Africa region. It displays long term trends similar to those of model predictions, but also conspicuous millennium scale differences.

Microtekties in sediments from the Brunhes-Matuyama transition

A mechanism had been recently proposed to show how an impact event can trigger a geomagnetic polarity reversal by means of rapid climate cooling. We test the proposed mechanism by examining the record from two high sedimentation rate (8-11 cm/kyr) deep-sea sediment cores (ODP Sites 767 and 769) from marginal seas of the Indonesian archipelago, which record the Australasian impact with well-defined microtektite layers, the Brunhes-Matuyama polarity reversal with strong and stable remanent magnetizations, and global climate with oxygen isotope variations in planktonic foraminifera. Both ODP cores show the impact to have preceded the reversal of magnetic field directions by about 12 kyr. Both records indicate that the field intensity was increasing near the time of impact and that it continued to increase for about 4 kyr afterwards. Furthermore, the oxygen isotope record available from sediments at ODP Site 769 shows no indication of discernible climate cooling following the impact: the microtektite event occurred in the later part of glacial Stage 20 and was followed by a smooth warming trend to interglacial Stage 19. Thus the detailed chronology does not support the previously proposed model which would predict that a decrease in geomagnetic field intensity resulted from a minor glaciation following the impact event. We conclude that the evidence for a causal link between impacts and geomagnetic reversals remains insufficient to demonstrate a physical connection.

Magnetic parameters of rocks from the Red Sea rift zone

Results of detailed geomagnetic and geomorphological studies carried out by R/V Akvanavt together with data obtained by a side-scanning sonar and high-frequency profiles from a towed Zvuk-4 vehicle plus results of visual observations of deep-sea manned Pisces submersible have shown that the spreading axis is divided into segments, whose strike (330°) differs from the overall strike (310°) of the axial magnetic anomaly. In the study area segments are about 1 km long and transform displacements are 0.5 km. Calculations on a model have shown that spreading is asymmetric: during the Brunhes epoch accretion rate of the African Plate was 6 mm/yr and that of the Arabian Plate 7 mm/yr. Earlier it had been 9 and 11 mm/yr, respectively.