Abstract
An excursion of the geomagnetic field is recorded by all basaltic lava flows of the Albuquerque Volcanoes, New Mexico. K-Ar age data (weighted mean:155 ± 47 ka) and evaluation of flow surface soil profiles suggest the late Pleistocene (ca. between 100 and 150 ka) as the time of extrusion. Means from 63 sites (eight flows) yield a grand mean of D=101.1°, I=-36.1°, α95=1.2° (α1 95 =0.7, α2 95=1.2), k=2219 (N=8) and a corresponding VGP of 354. IE, 20.2S, dp=0.8°, dm=l.4° (A1 95=0.5, A2 95=1.4), VGP ASD=1.8°. TRM acquisition experiments suggest that the basalts are high fidelity recorders of an ambient field. Because all flows yield statistically indistinguishable directions, an excursion morphology clearly cannot be defined. The Albuquerque Excursion may correlate with other excursions or short polarity episodes of late Pleistocene age (e.g. Blake). Though limited in morphology, well-dated excursions and polarity episodes recorded in volcanic rocks may provide information on the frequency of significant dynamo instabilities.
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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Geissman, J.W., Harlan, S.S., Brown, L., Turrin, B., McFadden, L.D. (1989). Bruhnes Chron Geomagnetic Excursion Recorded During the Late Pleistocene, Albuquerque Volcanoes, New Mexico, U.S.A.. In: Lowes, F.J., Collinson, D.W., Parry, J.H., Runcorn, S.K., Tozer, D.C., Soward, A. (eds) Geomagnetism and Palaeomagnetism. NATO ASI Series, vol 261. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0905-2_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0905-2_10
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