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Article
Unblocking Temperatures of Viscous Remanent Magnetism in Displaced Granitic Boulders, Icicle Creek Glacial Moraines (Washington, USA)
Geophysical Research Letters
  • Juliet G. Crider
  • Danika M. Globokar
  • Russ F. Burmester, Western Washington University
  • Bernard A. Housen, Western Washington University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-28-2015
Keywords
  • Viscous remanent magnetization,
  • VRM
Abstract

Viscous remanent magnetization (VRM) may partially overprint original magnetization in rocks displaced by geomorphic events. An established theoretical relationship between the time and temperature of acquisition of VRM and the time and temperature of demagnetization suggests that laboratory demagnetization (unblocking) of VRM can be used to estimate the displacement age of rocks. We test this hypothesis at four nested glacial moraines in the Icicle Creek drainage of central Washington, the ages of which were previously determined by cosmogenic surface exposure dating. The moraines are composed primarily of granodiorite boulders, and magnetic remanence is carried dominantly by magnetite. Both the maximum and average pVRM demagnetization temperatures (TD) increase with relative age of the moraines. For the three younger moraines, the average TD yields an age comparable to the cosmogenic age, within uncertainty of pVRM acquisition temperature. Uncertainty in the acquisition and demagnetization temperatures can limit the utility of pVRM for absolute dating.

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Comments

AGU allows authors to deposit their journal articles in an institutional repository if the version is the final published citable version of record, the AGU copyright statement is clearly visible on the posting, and the posting is made 6 months after official publication by the AGU.

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Geomagnetism--Washington (State)--Icicle Creek; Fluvial geomorphology--Washington (State)--Icicle Creek; Moraines--Washington (State)--Icicle Creek
Geographic Coverage
Washington (State)
Genre/Form
reports
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Crider,J.G.,D.M.Globokar,R.F.Burmester,and B. A. Housen (2015), Unblockingtemperatures of viscous remanentmagnetism in displaced graniticboulders, Icicle Creek glacial moraines(Washington, USA), Geophys. Res. Lett., 42,10,647–10,654, doi:10.1002/2015GL066381.