Palaeomagnetism of stalagmite deposits

Latham, Alfred; Schwarcz, Henry P.; Ford, Derek C.; Pearce, G. W.

doi:10.1038/280383a0

Cited by 60 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…1) and a striking difference in appearance from creamy coloured calcite below to alternating creamy and translucent brown calcite above. LATHAM et al (1979) observed a similar phenomenon in stalagmite TS. The remanence direction for the very top of TS was almost coincident with the present day GMF in Yorkshire, which led these authors to believe the top was of recent origin.…”

Section: Repeatable Psv Records Between Speleothemssupporting

confidence: 53%

“…those that are growing) have been found to be very close to the ambient GMF direction of the sampling site (e.g. LATHAM et al, 1979;MORINAGA et al, 1989). Speleothem remanence thus appears to have a negligible acquisition time-lag.…”

Section: Problems With Lake Sediments and The Potential Of Speleothemmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…In neither case, however, were the speleothems dated absolutely. LATHAM et al (1979) reported a record from a stalagmite (TS) collected from Yorkshire (England) spanning 11.3 to 7.5 ka (LATHAM, 1981). We have collected another stalagmite (90-TS2) from the same location and have studied its palaeomagnetism.…”

Section: Repeatable Psv Records Between Speleothemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their use as recorders of PSV has been suggested in several studies (e.g. LATHAM et al, 1979LATHAM et al, , 1986LATHAM et al, , 1989LATHAM, 1981;MORINAGA et al, 1986MORINAGA et al, , 1989 but despite good results their use in palaeomagnetic studies has, so far, been restricted. Speleothems have been used for magnetostratigraphy, in estimating valley incision rates (e.g.…”

Section: Introduction: the Recorders Of Psvmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rock Magnetic and Palaeomagnetic Studies of British Speleothems.

Perkins¹,

Maher²

1993

J. geomagn. geoelec

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The suitability of speleothems (secondary cave deposits) for palaeomagnetic use is being investigated. Previous workers have demonstrated that speleothems often carry a measurable and stable natural remanent magnetization (NRM). Speleothems may often be a more reliable source of palaeosecular variation (PSV) information than soft sediments. Our results demonstrate repeatable PSV records from two British stalagmites with overlapping growth periods. We present some preliminary rock magnetic data from speleothems which indicate a grain size difference between the magnetic grains in flowstones (laminar speleothems) and stalagmites (columnar speleothems). This has implications for the origin of the NRM. Detrital material is seen in speleothems but a chemical origin for the magnetization, possibly involving organic material in drip water, also seems likely, particularly in purer speleothems not subjected to coatings of detritus by flood events.

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Section: Repeatable Psv Records Between Speleothemssupporting

confidence: 53%

Section: Problems With Lake Sediments and The Potential Of Speleothemmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Repeatable Psv Records Between Speleothemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction: the Recorders Of Psvmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rock Magnetic and Palaeomagnetic Studies of British Speleothems.

Perkins¹,

Maher²

1993

J. geomagn. geoelec

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“…Calcite speleothems, such as stalagmites and flowstones, have an enormous potential in palaeomagnetism, since they may grow continuously through thousands of years, thereby preserving the palaeomagnetic signal at the time of calcite precipitation (Latham et al, 1979a(Latham et al, , 1979b(Latham et al, , 1987Openshaw et al, 1993). The lock-in of the magnetisation is nearly instantaneous, and post-depositional effects are usually not very significant (Lascu and Feinberg, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Blake geomagnetic excursion recorded in a radiometrically dated speleothem

Osete

Martı́n-Chivelet

Rossi

et al. 2012

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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Keywords:geomagnetic excursions speleothems radioisotope geochronology palaeointensity rock magnetism quaternary geochronologyOne of the most important developments in geomagnetism has been the recognition of polarity excursions of the Earth's magnetic field. Accurate timing of the excursions is a key point for understanding the geodynamo process and for magnetostratigraphic correlation. One of the best known excursions is the Blake geomagnetic episode, which occurred during marine isotope stage MIS 5, but its morphology and age remain controversial. Here we show, for the first time, the Blake excursion recorded in a stalag mite which was dated using the uranium-series disequilibrium techniques. The characteristic remanent magnetisation is carried by fine-graine d magnetite. The event is documented by two reversed intervals (Bl and B2). The age of the event is estimated to be between 116.5 + 0.7 kyr BP and 112.0 + 1.9 kyr BP, slightly younger (�3-4 kyr) than recent estimations from sedimentary records dated by astronomical tuning. Low values of relative palaeointensity during the Blake episode are estimated, but a relative maximum in the palaeofield intensity coeval with the complete reversal during the B2 interval was observed. Duration of the Blake geomagnetic excursion is 4.5 kyr, two times lower than single excursions and slightly higher than the estimated diffusion time for the inner core (�3 kyr).

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The origin of magnetic remanence in stalagmites: Observations from electron microscopy and rock magnetism

Strauss

Strehlau

Lascu

et al. 2013

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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[1] Speleothems, especially stalagmites, hold great potential as recorders of the Earth's ancient magnetic field. However, our understanding of the magnetic mineral assemblages within speleothems is not well developed. We present tandem rock magnetic characterization of bulk samples and electron microscopy of magnetic extracts from five North American stalagmites. Magnetite and goethite are present in all samples, albeit in varying abundances and morphologies. Magnetite grains are likely detrital, showing evidence of transport and weathering, including plumose markings and etch pits. These grains are unlikely to have precipitated abiotically in the cave environment. Titanomagnetite and exsolved intergrowths of Fe-Ti oxides indicate that a significant portion of the magnetic mineral assemblage is allochthonous and was transported into the caves. These Ti-rich grains display a range of morphologies from euhedral to well rounded, indicating that earlier morphological models for speleothem magnetization do not apply in all geologic settings. Goethite was observed in three morphologies: isolated needles, needle aggregates, and polycrystalline aggregates of randomly oriented nanoscale grains. The magnetite and titanomagnetite, as well as their partially oxidized equivalents, likely hold a depositional remanent magnetization (DRM), whereas if goethite grains were precipitated in situ on the stalagmite drip surface, they are more likely to hold a chemical remanent magnetization (CRM) because of their small size and low saturation magnetization. Until the remanence of goethite can be shown to be paleomagnetically meaningful, we propose that paleomagnetic studies of speleothems include a 150 C thermal demagnetization step to remove any goethite remanence.

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Palaeomagnetism of stalagmite deposits

Cited by 60 publications

References 4 publications

Rock Magnetic and Palaeomagnetic Studies of British Speleothems.

Rock Magnetic and Palaeomagnetic Studies of British Speleothems.

The Blake geomagnetic excursion recorded in a radiometrically dated speleothem

The origin of magnetic remanence in stalagmites: Observations from electron microscopy and rock magnetism

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