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Article
Paleointensity Record From the 2.7 Ga Stillwater Complex, Montana
Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems
  • Peter Selkin, University of Washington Tacoma
  • J. S Gee, University of California - San Diego
  • E. P Meurer, Exxon Mobil Upstream Research Company
  • S. R Hemming, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Publication Date
12-23-2008
Document Type
Article
Abstract

The record of geomagnetic intensity captured in the 2.7 Ga Stillwater Complex (Montana, USA) provides a statistical description of the Archean geodynamo. We present results of modified Thellier paleointensity experiments on 441 core specimens, 114 of which pass strict reliability criteria. The specimens are from 53 sites spanning most of the Banded Series rocks in the Stillwater Complex. On the basis of thermochronologic and petrologic evidence, we interpret the highest temperature component of remanence to be a late Archean thermoremanence, though the possibility remains that it is a thermochemical remanence. Thermal models indicate that the highest temperature magnetization component at each of the sites averages ∼20–200 ka of geomagnetic secular variation. The suite of sites as distributed through the Banded Series samples a roughly a 1 Ma time interval. The average of the most reliable paleointensity measurements, uncorrected for the effects of anisotropy or cooling rate, is 38.2 ± 11.3 μT (1σ). Remanence anisotropy, cooling rate, and the nonlinear relationship between applied field and thermoremanence have a significant effect on paleointensity results; a corrected average of 30.6 ± 8.8 μT is likely a more appropriate value. Earth's average dipole moment during the late Archean (5.05 ± 1.46 × 1022Am2, λpmag = 44.5°) was well within the range of estimates from Phanerozoic rocks. The distribution of site-mean paleointensities around the mean is consistent with that expected from slow cooling over timescales expected from thermal models and with secular variation comparable to that of the Phanerozoic field.

DOI
10.1029/2008GC001950
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Comments

An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2008 American Geophysical Union.

Citation Information
Peter Selkin, J. S Gee, E. P Meurer and S. R Hemming. "Paleointensity Record From the 2.7 Ga Stillwater Complex, Montana" Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems Vol. 9 Iss. 12 (2008)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/peter_selkin/1/