Applications of Paleomagnetism and Rock Magnetism in Geochronology

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 2432

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Directorate for Environment and Ecologic Transition–Veneto Region, Calle Priuli–Cannaregio 99, 30121 Venice, Italy
Interests: rock magnetism; paleomagnetism; stratigraphy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of the magnetic properties of rocks provides information that is broadly used in many fields of Earth sciences, for example, geochronology, paleoenvironmental reconstructions, structural geology, and paleogeography.

Among them, geochronology plays a central role in the geological sciences, and it is an indispensable tool to investigate the evolution of our planet since its formation.

In this regard, the information provided from paleomagnetic investigations, and in particular from magnetostratigraphy, has been used in many research works as a tool for the dating of sedimentary and volcanic sequences.

Magnetostratigraphy, representing the record of the polarity reversals of a geomagnetic field as registered via sedimentary and volcanic rocks, is proven to be a valuable tool for correlation between sections from different environments and realms, and also for dating. The character of the randomness of polarity reversals, describing unique patterns of magnetozones, and the fact that the stratigraphic levels recording the same polarity reversal are synchronous, regardless of the environment and the geographic position, illustrate the huge potential of this technique as a correlation tool. The correlation of a given magnetostratigraphic sequence with a reference geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS), constrained by radiometric ages and/or astronomical cycles, can indicate a numerical age to the investigated sequence.

In the same way, the record of the variation in the relative paleointensity (RPI) of the geomagnetic field can be used as a correlation tool for Quaternary stratigraphic sequences (sedimentary and volcanic). When the RPI record of a given section is correlated to a time-constrained RPI reference curve (e.g., SINT-800, NAPIS-75, etc.), relative paleointensity can be used as a dating tool.

Furthermore, the study of rock magnetism can be used for geochronological purposes. For example, the variations in rock magnetic parameters (e.g., magnetic susceptibility) in a sedimentary sequence can be used to detect astronomically forced global climate cycles, leading to the obtention of a high-detailed chronostratigraphy for this sequence.

With this Special Issue, we want to collect original papers from researchers in paleomagnetism and rock magnetism that illustrate the possible applications of paleomagnetism and rock magnetism in geochronology.

Dr. Matteo Maron
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • magnetostratigraphy applied to geochronology
  • paleomagnetism and rock magnetism of stratigraphic/volcanic sequences
  • improvement of the geomagnetic polarity time scale
  • paleointensity variations of the geomagnetic field as a correlation tool
  • rock magnetism parameters describing astronomical cycles

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 7564 KiB  
Article
Elemental Composition, Rock-Magnetic Characterization, and Archaeomagnetic Dating of Ceramic Fragments from the Paquimé Archaeological Site (Northern Mexico)
by Juan Morales, Fátima Karina Gutiérrez, Nayeli Pérez-Rodríguez, Eduardo Gamboa, Avto Goguitchaichvili and Rodrigo Esparza
Minerals 2025, 15(5), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15050437 - 23 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Paquimé is a remarkable pre-Hispanic settlement that flourished between the 13th and 15th centuries in northwest Chihuahua, Mexico. This site is recognized for its distinctive fusion of Mesoamerican and Southwestern American cultural traits. Although much of the explanatory models about this settlement’s development [...] Read more.
Paquimé is a remarkable pre-Hispanic settlement that flourished between the 13th and 15th centuries in northwest Chihuahua, Mexico. This site is recognized for its distinctive fusion of Mesoamerican and Southwestern American cultural traits. Although much of the explanatory models about this settlement’s development and regional role have focused on trade, pottery from the Salado tradition, particularly Polychrome Gila and Polychrome Tonto, has generally been presumed to have originated in the American Southwest. To confirm the interaction between both cultures and contribute to the clarification of the absolute chronology of Paquimé, the geochemical characterization and rock-magnetic characterization of sherds of local and presumably foreign manufacture were carried out, including sherds with manufacture that seems to be the result of the abovementioned relationship. SiO2 and Al2O3 contribute more than 75% to the observed variation. The Casas Grandes pottery shares the geochemical signatures of both local and foreign types. High-coercivity magnetic grains dominate in the foreign-type pottery samples. In contrast, relatively low-coercivity ferrimagnetic grains are the main features of local-type sherds. Essentially similar absolute intensity values were obtained for both potsherd wares. The most probable age intervals obtained for all ceramic samples studied range from 990 AD to 1310 AD, in agreement with previous surveys and local archaeological frameworks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Paleomagnetism and Rock Magnetism in Geochronology)
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14 pages, 15286 KiB  
Article
New Rock Magnetism and Magnetic Fabrics Studies on the Late Triassic Volcanic Rocks from Qaidam Block, Northern Tibetan Plateau
by Ruiyang Chai, Yanan Zhou, Teng Wang, Xin Cheng, Bitian Wei, Nan Jiang, Dongmeng Zhang, Longyun Xing, Pengfei Wang, Dongwei Liu, Ziwei Bian and Hanning Wu
Minerals 2024, 14(5), 515; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14050515 - 15 May 2024
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Abstract
The Qaidam Block, located at the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, is a pivotal area in unraveling the closure time of the Kunlun Ocean basin which might have recorded the transformation process between the Proto-Tethys and Paleo-Tethys Ocean basins. However, the late Triassic position of [...] Read more.
The Qaidam Block, located at the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, is a pivotal area in unraveling the closure time of the Kunlun Ocean basin which might have recorded the transformation process between the Proto-Tethys and Paleo-Tethys Ocean basins. However, the late Triassic position of the Qaidam Block remains enigmatic, largely due to the scarcity of paleomagnetic data essential for quantitatively determining its paleolatitude. The widespread presence of the Elashan formation, particularly along the southern periphery of the Qaidam block, presents good material for conducting paleomagnetic work. Nevertheless, the primary magnetic carriers preserved within the Elashan formation might be influenced by multiple tectonic thermal events, particularly those associated with collisions between southern blocks and the Qaidam Block. Here we present rock magnetism and magnetic fabrics studies to identify the content and composition of magnetic minerals within the Elashan formation. The rock magnetic and petrologic results show that the magnetic carriers in the samples from the Elashan formation are dominated by magnetite with a small amount of goethite, pyrrhotite, and hematite. The results of Anisotropy in Magnetic Susceptibility indicate that the south of the Longwalangku section might not be obviously influenced by the tectonic events. Our results also provided guidance for future paleomagnetic research, emphasizing the importance of conducting further sampling away from adjacent faults, particularly in the southern Longwalangku area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Paleomagnetism and Rock Magnetism in Geochronology)
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