Rock magnetic and paleointensity results from Mesozoic baked contacts of Armenia

• Published in: Earth, planets, and space Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 23 - 39
• Main Authors: Shcherbakova, V. V., Perrin, M., Shcherbakov, V. P., Pavlov, V. E., Ayvaz’yan, A., Zhidkov, G. V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-01-2009; Springer / Terra Scientific Publishing Company
• Subjects: Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Geology; Geophysics; Geophysics/Geodesy; Global Changes; Physics; Sciences of the Universe; Armenia; baked contacts; Cretaceous; Paleointensity; Thellier method
• ISSN: 1343-8832; 1880-5981
• DOI: 10.1186/BF03352882

Samples were obtained from three baked contacts and one lava flow along the upper Turonian-lower Coniacian Tovuz section, two baked contacts along the upper Coniacian-lower Santonian Paravakar section in the northern part of Armenia, and three baked contacts along the Titonian-Valanginian Kafan section in southern Armenia. A total of 130 samples were studied. Updated mean paleomagnetic poles were calculated for the Upper Cretaceous Tovuz-Paravakar sections (65.6°N, 162.2°E, A
95
= 4.3, paleolatitude = 27.0 ± 3.4°) and the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Kafan section (61.7°N, 158.9°E, A
95
= 4.8°, paleolatitude = 24.7 ± 3.8°). Paleointensity determinations could be estimated from two of the upper Cretaceous and three of the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous baked contacts, corresponding to a 30% success rate. The mean virtual dipole moments obtained were low (1.7-5.5 × 10
22
A m
2
), which is in agreement with data published by Bol’shakov and Solodovnikov (1981a, 1983) for the same sections (3.0-4.4 × 10
22
A m
2
). Our results support the hypothesis of the Mesozoic Dipole Low, even though the overall data are widely dispersed.