RUI Research: Pilot Study of Miocene Volcanic Transition Zone

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

9706344 Bogue The PI proposes a pilot paleomagnetic investigation of a volcanic sequence that was erupted during a polarity reversal of the geomagnetic field 15.2 million years ago. The study area is a 200m thick section of basaltic-andesitic lava flows exposed in the Sheep Creek Range, Nevada. In the pilot study the PI will determine the completeness of the record in this newly-discovered transition zone and whether paleointensities can be determined from the lavas. Scientific questions to be addressed include whether the directional change was complex or simple during the polarity reversal, what was the field strength after the reversal, and whether the field strength was steady or variable during intervals when the apparent pole position was stationary. The answers to these questions will address hotly debated issues related to the nature of the transitional geomagnetic field. ***