Driving a palaeomagnetic revolution: geophysical and environmental signals from magnetic biominerals

趋磁细菌使磁性纳米颗粒生物矿化。它们在水生环境中普遍存在，因此它们的无机遗骸（磁化石）应该引起沉积古地磁信号。古代磁化石的鉴定很少，直到最近的新技术证明了它们广泛的地质存在。本项目拟确定：磁化石对沉积古地磁信号的贡献机制；如果磁化石的出现提供了关于海洋碳循环的信息；并且，磁化石化学是否能够约束沉积古地磁信号的采集深度。这些都是沉积古地磁研究中的重要问题。

Magnetotactic bacteria biomineralise magnetic nanoparticles. They are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, so their inorganic remains (magnetofossils) should give rise to sedimentary palaeomagnetic signals. Ancient magnetofossil identifications were sparse until new techniques recently demonstrated their extensive geological occurrence. This project proposes to determine: the mechanisms by which magnetofossils contribute to sedimentary palaeomagnetic signals; if magnetofossil occurrences provide information about the marine carbon cycle; and, if magnetofossil chemistry can constrain the depth of sedimentary palaeomagnetic signal acquisition. These are major outstanding questions in sedimentary palaeomagnetism.