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Review of lake sediment palaeomagnetic data

Part I

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Abstract

This first part of a two part review is essentially descriptive: palaeomagnetic data sets used to compile the published reference curves of geomagnetic secular variations (SV) through Holocene, time are critically examined, particularly with respect to coring techniques used for sampling, reliability of the measured directions of remanent, magnetization and transformation to timescales. Also, progress made in extending SV records into Late Glacial time is reviewed. SV curves have been constructed for W. Europe and N. America going back respectively to 22 000 and 31 000 yr before the present (bp). The best quality SV records have invariably been obtained from homogeneous muds and clays which typically smooth the geomagnetic signal over intervals of a few hundred years. They show irregular oscillatory patterns in contrast with certain records obtained from some inhomogeneous sections which show sequences of strongly aberrant palaeomagnetic directions. The latter have been interpreted by some authors as evidence of abnormal geomagnetic field behaviour but such evidence is, on the whole, found to be uncovincing. If geomagnetic excursions or aborted attempts at polarity reversal have occurred, they must have been so rapid as to have been smoothed out in the quasi-continuous records obtained from homogeneous muds. The second part of the review, to be published shortly in this journal, will deal with analyses and interpretations of the data presented here.

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  1. Department of Geophysics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    K. M. Creer

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Creer, K.M. Review of lake sediment palaeomagnetic data. Geophysical Surveys 7, 125–160 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01450883

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