Small Grant for Exploratory Research - Paleomagnetic and Mineral Magnetic Studies in Anticipation of the Cape Roberts Project

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Abstract This award supports a project to lay the groundwork for development of a reliable magnetostratigraphic record from drill core collected by the international Cape Roberts Project (CRP). A reliable chronostratigraphic framework is a prerequisite for proper interpretation of the climatic and tectonic events that are the focus of the CRP. Magnetostratigraphy could play a major role in development of that framework, but previous paleomagnetic studies of sedimentary sequences from Antarctica have shown that extracting a reliable magnetostratigraphy from the CRP cores may not be easy and that sophisticated treatment of samples may be necessary. This project will undertake paleomagnetic and mineral magnetic investigations of the lower part (Eocene and/or Oligocene) of the CIROS-1 core, which was collected in 1984/85 from western McMurdo Sound. In addition to useful information bearing on paleoenvironments that can be extracted from this core, this work provides an opportunity to gain paleomagnetic experience with the lithologies present in the Cape Roberts region and to address problems encountered in previous attempts to recover paleomagnetic records. This project will also utilize Cretaceous to Paleocene drill cuttings from the Great South Basin near New Zealand. The results of this work will allow determination of the most appropriate strategy for dealing with samples during the drilling and basic characterization phase of the CRP, when time and resources will be very limited. In this way, the efficiency of on site paleomagnetic investigations in support of the basic characterization work on the core should be greatly enhanced.