Identification and Paleoclimatic Significance of Magnetite Nanoparticles in Soils

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Identification and Paleoclimatic Significance of Magnetite Nanoparticles in Soils Identification and paleoclimatic significance of magnetite nanoparticles in soils Imad A. M. Ahmeda,1 and Barbara A. Maherb,1 aDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, OX1 3AN Oxford, United Kingdom; and bCentre for Environmental Magnetism and Palaeomagnetism, Lancaster Environment Centre, University of Lancaster, LA1 4YQ Lancaster, United Kingdom Edited by Lisa Tauxe, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, and approved December 27, 2017 (received for review November 2, 2017) In the world-famous sediments of the Chinese Loess Plateau, fossil from the Chinese loess/paleosol sediments indicates that abiotic (ex- soils alternate with windblown dust layers to record monsoonal tracellular) precipitation of the paleosol ferrimagnets (Fig. 1 C and D) variations over the last ∼3 My. The less-weathered, weakly magnetic is dominant, rather than intracellular formation of magnetosomes, dust layers reflect drier, colder glaciations. The fossil soils (paleosols) of controlled size and shape, by magnetotactic bacteria (Fig. 1E). contain variable concentrations of nanoscale, strongly magnetic iron Both the mineralogy of the soil ferrimagnets and their pathways oxides, formed in situ during the wetter, warmer interglaciations. of formation have been hotly debated. Opposite hypotheses link Mineralogical identification of the magnetic soil oxides is essential soil magnetic enhancement not with redox-related formation of the + for deciphering these key paleoclimatic records. Formation of mag- Fe2 -bearing magnetite but with the formation from ferrihydrite of 2+ 3+ netite, a mixed Fe /Fe ferrimagnet, has been linked to soil redox an oxidized, maghemite-like phase (hydromaghemite), which itself oscillations, and thence to paleorainfall. An opposite hypothesis transforms to hematite upon ripening and aging (11–13). This latter states that magnetite can only form if the soil is water saturated 3+ 2+ pathway would thus be temperature dependent rather than mois- for significant periods in order for Fe to be reduced to Fe ,andsug- ture and redox dependent. Indeed, the transformation of ferrihy- gests instead the temperature-dependent formation of maghemite, 3+ drite to maghemite has been identified in vitro (14), albeit under an Fe -oxide, much of which ages subsequently into hematite, hydrothermal experimental conditions (150 °C for 120 d), which typically aluminum substituted. This latter, oxidizing pathway are environmentally unrealistic. More recently, it has been sug- would have been temperature, but not rainfall dependent. Here, gested that a magnetically ordered ferrihydrite, before its oxidation through structural fingerprinting and scanning transmission elec- to hematite, might contribute to soil magnetic enhancement (15). EARTH, ATMOSPHERIC, tron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis, AND PLANETARY SCIENCES Magnetite has an inverse spinel structure that contains tetrahedral we prove that magnetite is the dominant soil-formed ferrite. 2+ 3+ (Td) and octahedral [Oh] sites accommodating Fe and Fe Maghemite is present in lower concentrations, and shows no evidence 3 + 3 + 2 + cations with a spin arrangement of ½Fe ↓ ½Fe ↑Fe ↑ . of aluminum substitution, negating its proposed precursor role for the Td Oh Magnetite and maghemite are end members of a solid solution aluminum-substituted hematite prevalent in the paleosols. Magnetite γ dominance demonstrates that magnetite formation occurs in well- series. Although maghemite ( -Fe2O3) has the same composition as α drained, generally oxidizing soils, and that soil wetting/drying oscil- hematite ( -Fe2O3), it has the structure of a spinel (a cation-deficient 3+ SI lations drive the degree of soil magnetic enhancement. The magnetic spinel, lacking sufficient Fe ions to fill the available Fe sites; variations of the Chinese Loess Plateau paleosols thus record changes Appendix). Maghemite is thus ferrimagnetic, with very similar in monsoonal rainfall, over timescales of millions of years. magnetic properties to magnetite. It is metastable with respect to hematite (it inverts to hematite upon heating), but can be stabilized soil magnetite | Quaternary paleoclimate | monsoon rainfall | magnetic susceptibility | structural fingerprinting Significance he windblown sediments of the famous Chinese Loess Pla- In the famous Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), weakly magnetic, Tteau (CLP), spanning hundreds of meters in thickness and windblown dust layers alternate with variably magnetic fossil >600,000 km2 in extent, potentially contain the longest, most soils, recording monsoonal variations through the last ∼3 My. detailed terrestrial records of East Asian monsoonal evolution. The soils contain strongly magnetic iron oxides, formed in situ, Interleaved layers of glacial-stage windblown dust (loess) and the mineralogy and paleoclimatic significance of which are + interglacial/interstadial-stage fossil soils (paleosols) span the late controversial. Reduction of iron to form Fe2 -bearing magne- Pliocene and Quaternary geological periods; i.e., the last ∼3My. tite has been linked to soil wetting/drying. Conversely, oxida- 3+ Compared with the less-weathered loess layers, the interglacial tion of iron to form Fe -bearing maghemite, which ages into paleosols contain varying but higher concentrations of nanoscale, Al-substituted hematite, has been linked to paleotemperature. strongly magnetic (ferrimagnetic) iron oxides, formed in situ during This study uses structural fingerprinting and electron energy soil development. These variations in ferrimagnetic concentration are loss spectroscopy to resolve this debate, proving that magne- readily apparent even from simple room-temperature measurements tite is the dominant soil-formed magnet. The magnetic varia- of magnetic susceptibility (Fig. 1A and SI Appendix,Fig.S1). A climatic tions of the CLP paleosols thus record changes in monsoonal cause for the varying soil nanomagnet concentrations is evidenced rainfall, providing a key time series for testing of general cir- by their strong correlation with the deep-sea oxygen isotope record, culation climate models. principally a record of continental ice volume (Fig. 1B). Author contributions: I.A.M.A. and B.A.M. designed research; I.A.M.A. and B.A.M. per- Modern loessic soils across the Chinese Loess Plateau, and formed research; I.A.M.A. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; I.A.M.A. and B.A.M. similar regions (e.g., the Russian steppe, the North American Great analyzed data; and I.A.M.A. and B.A.M. wrote the paper. Plains), display a direct, strongly significant correlation of their soil- The authors declare no conflict of interest. formed (pedogenic) magnetic concentrations with mean annual This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. – rainfall (1 4).Thiscorrelation,usedtoobtainquantifiedestimates Published under the PNAS license. of paleorainfall (5) for the Chinese monsoon region, has been 1 2+ 3+ To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: [email protected] or linked causally to pedogenic formation of the mixed Fe /Fe iron [email protected]. oxide, magnetite, through redox changes in soil microsites following This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10. rainfall events (6–9). Electron microscopy of magnetic concentrates 1073/pnas.1719186115/-/DCSupplemental. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1719186115 PNAS Latest Articles | 1of6 Downloaded by guest on September 25, 2021 0 2 probable projected crystallographic symmetries for a candidate A B C phase are then obtained, together with geometric information 6 (i.e., reciprocal lattice spacings and interfringe angles). The com- 200 bination of geometric information on the reciprocal lattice, plane symmetry, and elemental composition (from EDXA) within a crystal 8 100 nm 10 leads to unambiguous identification of the nanoferrite structure. 400 The soil ferrites were extracted from: a modern, magnetically 12 D enhanced soil (a cambisol, from Exmoor, United Kingdom; Fig. 1B and ref. 17); paleosol S1 (of last interglacial age, ∼125,000 y 3 14 600 before present [BP]) from the central region of the CLP 16 (Luochuan; Fig. 1A and SI Appendix,Fig.S2); and a paleosol (∼5 10 nm 18 My BP) from the Mio/Pliocene Red Clay sequence (at Lingtai), Age (10800 year) which underlies the Quaternary-age loess and paleosols. To ex- 22 E amine any possible oxidation effects related to postsampling lab- 26 oratory storage, we compared recently collected (2011) and “old” 1000 30 (collected in 1990) samples from the Luochuan S1 paleosol. For independent verification of our structural fingerprinting approach, 100 nm we additionally used coupled scanning transmission electron mi- 1200 croscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM/EELS) to 90 200 400 -5.0 -4.0 -3.0 + quantify the Fe3 =ΣFe ratios and to identify the dominant ferrites in -8 -3 -1 18 “ ” χ (10mkg) δ Ο (‰) the new and long-stored Luochuan S1 paleosol samples. Fig. 1. (A) The magnetic susceptibility of the loess/paleosol sequence at Results Luochuan, central Chinese Loess Plateau (5); (B) the deep-sea oxygen isotope Magnetic concentrates were obtained from the soil and paleosol record from site 677 (10) (glacial stages numbered); (C–E) TEM micrographs samples; the extraction efficiency (SI Appendix,TableS1) quan- of nanoscale, low-temperature ferrimagnets formed in the environment, (C) tified by before- and after-extraction measurements of magnetic CLP paleosol, (D) United Kingdom modern cambisol (Exmoor), and (E)the susceptibility,
Recommended publications
  • Magnetic Mineral Assemblages in Soils and Paleosols As the Basis for Paleoprecipitation Proxies: a Review of Magnetic Methods and Challenges
    Earth-Science Reviews 155 (2016) 28–48 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Earth-Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/earscirev Magnetic mineral assemblages in soils and paleosols as the basis for paleoprecipitation proxies: A review of magnetic methods and challenges Daniel P. Maxbauer a,b,⁎, Joshua M. Feinberg a,b, David L. Fox a a Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States b Institute for Rock Magnetism, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States article info abstract Article history: Magnetic iron oxide minerals, principally magnetite, maghemite, hematite, and goethite are formed in well- Received 10 August 2015 drained soils in response to a suite of physical, chemical, and biological factors. Despite a wide range of complex- Received in revised form 11 January 2016 ity in the pedogenic processes that lead to magnetic mineral formation, dissolution, and transformation, there are Accepted 26 January 2016 well-documented empirical relationships between various magnetic mineral assemblages in soils with environ- Available online 27 January 2016 mental and climatic conditions. Recently there has been an increase in the number of quantitative magnetic Keywords: paleoprecipitation proxies that have been developed, and there is great potential for magnetic methods to be Paleoprecipitation used in the geologic record to develop reconstructions of past climates. Magnetic paleoprecipitation proxies Proxy have been widely utilized in Quaternary or younger loess–paleosol systems; however, they have yet to be utilized Soil magnetism in the pre-Quaternary fossil record. Future studies of magnetic mineralogy of soils and paleosols should aim to Paleosols explore non-loessic modern soils and pre-Quaternary paleosols with more focus on understanding the interac- Iron oxides tion between magnetic mineral assemblages and soil moisture.
    [Show full text]
  • 5 Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism
    5 Geomagnetism and paleomagnetism It is not known when the directive power of the magnet 5.1 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION - its ability to align consistently north-south - was first recognized. Early in the Han dynasty, between 300 and 5.1.1 The discovery of magnetism 200 BC, the Chinese fashioned a rudimentary compass Mankind's interest in magnetism began as a fascination out of lodestone. It consisted of a spoon-shaped object, with the curious attractive properties of the mineral lode­ whose bowl balanced and could rotate on a flat polished stone, a naturally occurring form of magnetite. Called surface. This compass may have been used in the search loadstone in early usage, the name derives from the old for gems and in the selection of sites for houses. Before English word load, meaning "way" or "course"; the load­ 1000 AD the Chinese had developed suspended and stone was literally a stone which showed a traveller the pivoted-needle compasses. Their directive power led to the way. use of compasses for navigation long before the origin of The earliest observations of magnetism were made the aligning forces was understood. As late as the twelfth before accurate records of discoveries were kept, so that century, it was supposed in Europe that the alignment of it is impossible to be sure of historical precedents. the compass arose from its attempt to follow the pole star. Nevertheless, Greek philosophers wrote about lodestone It was later shown that the compass alignment was pro­ around 800 BC and its properties were known to the duced by a property of the Earth itself.
    [Show full text]
  • Cutbank Geophysics
    Article Cutbank Geophysics: A New Method for Expanding Magnetic Investigations to the Subsurface Using Magnetic Susceptibility Testing at an Awatixa Hidatsa Village, North Dakota Rinita Dalan 1,*, Jay Sturdevant 2, Rebecca Wallace 3, Blair Schneider 4 and Steven De Vore 2 1 Department of Anthropology and Earth Science, Minnesota State University Moorhead, 1104 7th Avenue South, Moorhead, MN 56563, USA 2 National Park Service, Midwest Archeological Center, 100 Centennial Mall, North, Room 474, Lincoln, NE 68508, USA; [email protected] (J.S.); [email protected] (S.D.V.) 3 Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, PO Box 2154, Bismarck, ND 58502, USA; [email protected] 4 Department of Geology, University of Kansas, 1475 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1‐218‐477‐5900 Academic Editors: Kenneth L. Kvamme, Xiaofeng Li, Richard Müller, Richard Gloaguen and Prasad S. Thenkabail Received: 30 September 2016; Accepted: 20 January 2017; Published: 28 January 2017 Abstract: Magnetic susceptibility investigations were conducted at an Awatixa Hidatsa village (32ME11, also known as Sakakawea Village) along a cutbank at the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site (KNRI) in central North Dakota, USA. This extensive exposure provided a superb opportunity to correlate magnetic susceptibility measurements with a variety of subsurface features. These features were visible in the cutbank, and also recorded in cutbank profiles completed in the late 1970s in work supervised by Robert Nickel and Stanley Ahler. The susceptibility studies are part of a larger program of geophysics at KNRI that commenced with pioneering surveys of John Weymouth and Robert Nickel, also in the 1970s, and continued with extensive surface‐based magnetic surveys over the interior portion of the site in 2012 by the National Park Service.
    [Show full text]
  • Rock Magnetic Methods in Soil and Environmental
    Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Procedia Earth and Planetary Science 6 (2013) 8 – 13 International Symposium on Earth Science and Technology, CINEST 2012 Rock Magnetic Methods in Soil and Environmental Studies: Fundamentals and Case Studies Satria BIJAKSANA1, Estevanus HULISELAN2, La Ode SAFIUDDIN3, Dini FITRIANI4, Gerald TAMUNTUAN5, and Eleonora AGUSTINE1 1Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, InstitutTeknologi Bandung, Bandung 40132, Indonesia 2Faculty of Teaching and Educational Sciences, Pattimura University, Ambon 97233, Indonesia 3Faculty of Teaching and Educational Sciences, Haluoleo University, Kendari 93132, Indonesia 4Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Padjadjaran University, Sumedang 45363, Indonesia 5Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, InstitutTeknologi Bandung, Bandung 40132, Indonesia Abstract Rock magnetic methods have increasingly been applied in many fields of study as they are relatively easy, fast, non- destructive and affordable. We present some examples of such applications in soil and environmental studies that had been conducted at InstitutTeknologi Bandung by its faculty members and graduate students. After a brief introduction on fundamentals of rock magnetism, we described our study on lateritic soil from Pomalaa, which show that magnetic properties correlate well with soil horizons suggesting that magnetic methods could be used as additional tools in pedogenic studies. We also described our study in leachate sludge samples from two sites near Bandung showing that leachate sludge samples are reasonably magnetic and that correlation between magnetic parameters and heavy metal content might exist. Supported by other analyses, such as SEM and XRD, we were also able to identify the sources of magnetic grains in leachate sludge. 1. INTRODUCTION In general, rock magnetism is defined as a study of the magnetic properties of natural substances such as rocks, sediments, soils, and (lately) dusts and other fine particulates in the air.
    [Show full text]
  • An Integrated Study of the Eolian Dust in Pelagic Sediments from The
    Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth RESEARCH ARTICLE An Integrated Study of the Eolian Dust in Pelagic Sediments 10.1002/2017JB014951 From the North Pacific Ocean Based on Environmental Key Points: Magnetism, Transmission Electron Microscopy, • Ferrimagnetic and antiferromagnetic minerals were identified and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy systematically in North Pacific Ocean pelagic sediments Qiang Zhang1,2 , Qingsong Liu3,4 , Jinhua Li2,4, and Youbin Sun5 • Ferrimagnetic minerals record the overall trend of increased eolian dust 1College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, 2State Key Laboratory inputs since the late Pliocene 3 • A parameter obtained from diffuse of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, Department 4 reflectance spectroscopy is proposed of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, Laboratory for to trace eolian dust in pelagic Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China, 5State Key Laboratory sediments of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, China Supporting Information: fi • Supporting Information S1 Abstract Eolian dust is a major terrigenous component in North Paci c Ocean pelagic sediments and is an • Table S1 important recorder of Asian terrestrial environmental evolution and Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation. In order to extract and quantify wind-borne mineral signals and develop a reliable eolian dust Correspondence to: proxy for pelagic sediments, we investigated sediments from Ocean Drilling Program Hole 885A, North Q. Liu, fi [email protected] Paci c Ocean, by integrating results from environmental magnetism, transmission electron microscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS).
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Magnetism and Application in the Continental Shelf Sediments of India R
    Environmental magnetism and application in the continental shelf sediments of India R. Alagarsamy To cite this version: R. Alagarsamy. Environmental magnetism and application in the continental shelf sediments of India. Marine Environmental Research, Elsevier, 2009, 68 (2), pp.49. 10.1016/j.marenvres.2009.04.003. hal-00563074 HAL Id: hal-00563074 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00563074 Submitted on 4 Feb 2011 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Accepted Manuscript Environmental magnetism and application in the continental shelf sediments of India R. Alagarsamy PII: S0141-1136(09)00037-3 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2009.04.003 Reference: MERE 3330 To appear in: Marine Environmental Research Received Date: 11 January 2008 Revised Date: 27 February 2009 Accepted Date: 13 April 2009 Please cite this article as: Alagarsamy, R., Environmental magnetism and application in the continental shelf sediments of India, Marine Environmental Research (2009), doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2009.04.003 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript.
    [Show full text]
  • Quaternary Climates, Environments and Magnetism the Quaternary Has Been a Period of Major Climatic and Environmental Oscillation
    Cambridge University Press 0521624177 - Quaternary Climates, Environments and Magnetism Edited by Barbara A. Maher and Roy Thompson Frontmatter More information Quaternary Climates, Environments and Magnetism The Quaternary has been a period of major climatic and environmental oscillations and our knowledge of these past variations is important for our understanding of the possible impact of human activity on the present-day environment. Quaternary Climates, Environments and Magnetism presents an up-to-date account of the rich variety of uses of magnetic measurements in the environmental geosciences. It focuses on the Quaternary geological period, and reviews the application of magnetic studies to climatic and environmental problems. Ten chapters by leading world authorities describe the highlights of environmental magnetic work during the last decade and identify directions for future research. Emphasis is placed on a multidisciplinary approach to achieve a more thorough understanding of the environmental processes involved. This volume will be of interest to research scientists from a wide range of disciplines working on Quaternary environments, including earth and environmental sciences, physical geology, geography and palaeoclimatology. It will also be valuable as a supplementary text for graduates and advanced undergraduates. Barbara A. Maher is Reader in Quaternary Science at the Centre for Environmental Magnetism and Palaeomagnetism, University of East Anglia. Roy Thompson is Professor of Environmental Geophysics at the University
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Magnetic Susceptibility Using the Bartington MS2 System - John Dearing BARTINGTON INSTRUMENTS
    Environmental Magnetic Susceptibility Using the Bartington MS2 System - John Dearing BARTINGTON INSTRUMENTS This guide has been written to help users of the MS2 Magnetic Susceptibility System gain the most from their equipment. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been taken to ensure that facts are correct and advice given is sound, the user must accept full responsibility for the operation of their equipment and the interpretation of data. The author cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss of equipment, or erroneous interpretation of data arising from the instructions or advice provided in this booklet. John A. Dearing First published 1994 Second edition 1999 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without the permission of the Publisher. ISBN 0 9523409 0 9 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library John A. Dearing has exercised his right under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of his work and has kindly given permission to Bartington Instruments Ltd to reproduce the original publication with some additional product data. All extracts from this document by any third party must reference the original publication. The original publication remains available through the publisher. Page 2 of 43 OM3836/2 BARTINGTON INSTRUMENTS Acknowledgements I am indebted to a large number of individuals who, over the years, have discussed with me different aspects of this work. But particularly, I would like to thank the following people. Frank Oldfield and Roy Thompson initiated my interests in the subject and have continued to develop magnetic techniques and extend their application to environmental problems.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Magnetism and Magnetostratigraphy of the Pliocene and Pleistocene Sediments of the Heidelberg Basin
    Environmental magnetism and magnetostratigraphy of the Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments of the Heidelberg Basin DISSERTATION zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat.) in der Bayreuther Graduiertenschule für Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften (BayNAT) der Universität Bayreuth vorgelegt von Stephanie Scheidt aus Offenbach am Main, Germany Bayreuth, 2018 Die vorliegende Arbeit wurde in der Zeit von Februar 2012 bis Dezember 2017 im und in Kooperation mit dem Gesteins- und Paläomagnetiklabor Grubenhagen des Leibniz Institut für Angewandte Geophysik (LIAG) in Einbeck, Deutschland, angefertigt. Die Betreuung vor Ort oblag Herrn Dr. Christian Rolf (LIAG). An der Universität Bayreuth wurde die Arbeit durch Herrn Professor Dr. Ludwig Zöller und Herrn Dr. Ulrich Hambach (beide angehörige des Lehrstuhl Geomorphologie sowie BayCEER) betreut. Dissertation eingereicht am: 08.01.2018 Zulassung durch das Leitungsgremium: 29.01.2018 Wissenschaftliches Kolloquium: 05.06.2018 Amtierender Direktor: Prof. Dr. Dirk Schüler Prüfungsausschuss: Prof. Dr. Ludwig Zöller (Gutachter) Prof. Dr. Helga de Wall (Gutachterin) Prof. Dr. Daniel Frost (Vorsitz) Prof. Dr. Martin Obst I II Content Content ............................................................................................................................................... III List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... VI List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Magnetic Methods and the Timing of Geological Processes
    Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 28, 2021 Magnetic methods and the timing of geological processes L. JOVANE1*, L. HINNOV2, B. A. HOUSEN3 & E. HERRERO-BARVERA4 1Instituto Oceanogra´fico da Universidade de Sa˜o Paulo, Fisica, Geoquimica e Geologia, Prac¸a do Oceanogra´fico 191, Sa˜o Paulo, Sa˜o Paulo 05508-120, Brazil 2John Hopkins University, Earth and Planetary Sciences, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA 3Department of Geology, Western Washington University, 516 High St., Bellingham, Washington 98225, USA 4University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA *Corresponding author (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract: Magnetostratigraphy is best known as a technique that employs correlation among different stratigraphic sections using the magnetic directions that define geomagnetic polarity reversals as marker-horizons. The ages of the polarity reversals provide common tie points among the sections, allowing accurate time correlation. Recently, magnetostratigraphy has acquired a broader meaning, now referring to many types of magnetic measurements within a stra- tigraphic sequence. Many of these measurements provide correlation and age control not only for the older and younger boundaries of a polarity interval, but also within intervals. Thus, magnetos- tratigraphy no longer represents a dating tool based only on the geomagnetic polarity reversals, but comprises a set of techniques that includes measurements of all geomagnetic field parameters, environmental magnetism, rock magnetic and palaeoclimatic change recorded in sedimentary rocks, and key corrections to magnetic directions related to geodynamics, tectonics and diagenetic processes. Discovery of geomagnetic reversals motions of the ocean floor.
    [Show full text]
  • Holocene Paleoclimatic Variation in the Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica: a Mineral Magnetic Approach
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Polar Science 8 (2014) 357e369 http://ees.elsevier.com/polar/ Holocene paleoclimatic variation in the Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica: A mineral magnetic approach Binita Phartiyal Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53-University Road, Lucknow 226007, UP, India Received 17 July 2013; revised 27 May 2014; accepted 9 June 2014 Available online 14 June 2014 Abstract An analysis of remanent magnetism and radiocarbon ages in the dry lacustrine/sediment fills of the Schirmacher Oasis (SO) in East Antarctica was conducted to reconstruct past climatic condition. The statistically run mineral magnetic data on paleontological statistics software package (multivariate cluster analysis) placed on accelerator mass spectrometer radiocarbon chronology of the three sediment sections, trace 6 phases of climatic fluctuation between 13 and 3 ka, (Phases 1, 3 and 5 represent cold periods while Phases 2, 4, and 6 represent warm periods). One short warm period (Phase 2, ca. 12.5 ka) occurred in the late Pleistocene, and two marked warm periods (Phase 4, 11e8.7 ka; Phase 6, 4.4e3 ka) occurred in the Holocene. High magnetic susceptibility (c), saturation isothermal remanent magnetism (SIRM), and soft isothermal remanent magnetism (soft IRM) values correspond to colder periods and low values reflect comparatively warmer lacustrine phases. Holocene Optima (Phase 4) and Mid Holocene Hypsithermal (Phase 6) are distinguished by decreased values of concentrations dependent parameters. Remanence is preserved in the low-coercive minerals. Heavy metals in the sediments include, Fe, Rb, Zn, Mo, Co, Pb, Mn, Cu, and As in order of decreasing abundance.
    [Show full text]
  • 10. Rock Magnetic Properties of Sediments from Ceara Rise (Site 929): Implications for the Origin of the Magnetic Susceptibility Signal1
    Shackleton, N.J., Curry, W.B., Richter, C., and Bralower, T.J. (Eds.), 1997 Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, Vol. 154 10. ROCK MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF SEDIMENTS FROM CEARA RISE (SITE 929): IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ORIGIN OF THE MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY SIGNAL1 Carl Richter,2 Jean-Pierre Valet,3 and Peter A. Solheid4 ABSTRACT This paper presents a rock magnetic study of cyclic deep-ocean sediment from the Ceara Rise in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. Whole-core magnetic susceptibility data have been used as a proxy for climate change in these sediments. This study is aimed at testing this assumption and at determining the source of the magnetic susceptibility varia- tions. We analyzed hysteresis properties, high-Þeld and low-Þeld susceptibilities, anhysteretic remanent magnetization, and thermomagnetic behavior of 114 sediment samples. Hysteresis measurements show that the magnetic carrier is of pseudosingle domain size. Low-temperature demagnetization data indicate the Verwey transition (diagnostic of magnetite) at 118 K. The magnetite concentration was estimated from the saturation magnetization values and varies between 43 ppm in light, carbonate- rich layers and 94 ppm in dark, carbonate-poor layers. The average low-Þeld mass susceptibility is 12.56 ´ 10Ð8 m3/kg, and the average high-Þeld susceptibility is 4.8 ´ 10Ð8 m3/kg. The contribution of magnetite to the low-Þeld susceptibility is 63% in car- bonate-poor layers and 53% in carbonate-rich layers. Concentration-independent rock magnetic ratios revealed small-scale and large-scale variations in the magnetic grain size. The variations in magnetic properties mirror changes in clay content, which provides excellent evidence that the susceptibility variations reßect ßuctuations in sedimentary input from the Amazon River.
    [Show full text]