Geomagnetic paleointensities from excursion sequences in lavas on Oahu, Hawaii

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth
By: , and 

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Abstract

Paleomagnetic data demonstrating three late Tertiary excursions in the direction of the geomagnetic field recorded in sequences of basaltic lavas on the island of Oahu, Hawaii were published by R. R. Doell and G. B. Dalrymple in 1973. We have determined geomagnetic paleointensities by the Thelliers' method for 14 lavas from the three sites. During these experiments, considerable difficulty was encountered because of the presence of titanomaghemite in many lavas and the contamination of natural remanent magnetization by lightning in many others. Moreover, we often observed the production of spurious high‐temperature chemical remanent magnetization during the Thellier experiments. An analysis of this particularly troublesome problem is presented. Two of the sites showed low paleointensities associated with angular departures of the paleomagnetic field direction from that of a geocentric axial dipole, which suggests that these excursions represent aborted reversals or fragments of reversals. At the third site, however, the paleointensity did not become low as the field diverged. This excursion may reflect the variation of a large nondipole source near Hawaii.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Geomagnetic paleointensities from excursion sequences in lavas on Oahu, Hawaii
Series title Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth
DOI 10.1029/JB089iB02p01059
Volume 89
Issue B2
Year Published 1984
Language English
Publisher AGU
Contributing office(s) Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Description 11 p.
First page 1059
Last page 1069
Country United States
State Hawaii
Other Geospatial Oahu
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