Skip to main content
Earth, Planets and Space
Download PDF
  • Letter
  • Published:

Geomagnetic paleosecular variation for the past 5 Ma in the Society Islands, French Polynesia

Earth, Planets and Space volume 54, pages 797–802 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

We report a paleomagnetic secular variation in the Society Islands, French Polynesia for the past 5 Ma. Paleomagnetic measurements were performed on volcanic rocks applying thermal and alternating field demagnetizations and principal-component analysis. As a result, 82 normal, 48 reversed, and 10 intermediate directions were observed after the correction of the site localities for the absolute motion of the Pacific plate. A mean VGP of the combined data set of normal and reversed polarities is located at 87.5°N and 4.0°W (A95 = 2.3°), which is close to the geographic pole. The angular standard deviation (ASD) around the mean VGP resulted in 14.6° (+1.3°, −1.2°). There is no significant inclination anomaly for the time-averaged field. However, if the plate motion is not taken into account, a significant anomaly of −3.4° would be observed at a 95% confidence level. This suggests that correction for the absolute plate motion is needed for the precise paleodirectional analysis of the Pacific region. These features are also supported by an analysis combining the previous data set with our data.

References

  • Blais, S., G. Guille, R. C. Maury, H. Guillou, D. Miau, and J. Cotton, Geology and petrology of Raiatea Island (Society Islands, French Polynesia), C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, série IIa, 324, 435–442, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blais, S., G. Guille, H. Guillou, C. Chauvel, R. C. Maury, and M. Caroff, Geology, geochemistry and geochronology of Borabora island (Society Islands, French Polynesia), C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Earth Planet. Sci., 331, 579–585, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cande, S. C. and D. V. Kent, Revised calibration of the geomagnetic polarity timescale for the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 6093–6095, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chauvin, A., P. Roperch, and R. A. Duncan, Records of geomagnetic reversals from volcanic islands of French Polynesia 2. Paleomagnetic study of flow sequence (1.2−0.6Ma) from the Island of Tahiti and discussion of reversal models, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 2727–2752, 1990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, A., Latitude dependence of the angular dispersion of the geomagnetic field, Geophys. J. R. Astr. Soc., 20, 253–269, 1970.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, R. A., Paleosecular variation at the Society Islands, French Polynesia, Geophys. J. R. Astr. Soc., 41, 245–254, 1975.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, R. A. and I. McDougall, Linear volcanism in French Polynesia, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 1, 197–227, 1976.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gripp, A. E. and R. G. Gordon, Current plate velocities relative to the hotspots incorporating the NUVEL-1 global plate motion model, Geophys. Res. Lett., 17, 1109–1112, 1990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gubbins, D. and P. Kelly, Persistent patterns in the geomagnetic field over the last 2.5 Myr, Nature, 365, 829–832, 1993.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guillou, H., S. Blais, G. Guille, R. C. Maury, A. Le Dez, and J. Cotton, Age (K-Ar) and duration of the subaerial build-up of Moorea, Raiatea and Maupiti (Society Islands, French Polynesia), Géologie de la France, 3, 29–36, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, C. and C. G. Constable, The time averaged field as recorded by lava flows over the past 5 Myr, Geophys. J. Int., 122, 489–519, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, C. and C. G. Constable, Paleosecular variation recorded by lava flows over the past five million years, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A, 354, 89–141, 1996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, C. and C. G. Constable, The time averaged geomagnetic field: global and regional biases for 0–5 Ma, Geophys. J. Int., 131, 643–666, 1997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, P. and D. Gubbins, The geomagnetic field over the past 5 million years, Geophys. J. Int., 128, 315–330, 1997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirschvink, J. L., The least-squares line and plane and the analysis of paleomagnetic data, Geophys. J. R. Astr. Soc., 62, 699–718, 1980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kono, M., Y. Hamano, T. Nishitani, and T. Tosha, A new spinner magnetometer: principles and techniques, Geophys. J. R. Astr. Soc., 67, 217–227, 1984.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kono, M., H. Kitagawa, and H. Tanaka, Use of automatic spinner magnetometer-AF demagnetizer system for magnetostratigraphy and paleosecular variation studies (abstract), 8th Scientific Assembly IAGA, Uppsala, 1997.

  • Kono, M., H. Tanaka, and H. Tsunakawa, Spherical harmonic analysis of paleomagnetic data: The case of linear mapping, J. Geophys. Res., 105, 5817–5833, 2000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laj, C., A. Mazaud, R. Weeks, M. Fuller, and E. Herrero-Bervera, Geomagnetic reversal paths, Nature, 351, 447, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Love, J. J., Paleomagnetic volcanic data and geometric regularity of reversals and excursions, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 12435–12452, 1998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McElhinny, M. W., P. L. McFadden, and R. T. Merrill, The time-averaged paleomagnetic field 0–5 Ma, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 25007–25027, 1996a.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McElhinny, M. W., P. L. McFadden, and R. T. Merrill, The myth of the Pacific dipole window, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 143, 13–22, 1996b.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McFadden, P. L., R. T. Merrill, and M. W. McElhinny, Dipole/quadrupole family modeling of paleosecular variation, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 11583–11588, 1988.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McFadden, P. L., R. T. Merrill, M. W. McElhinny, and S. Lee, Reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field and temporal variations of the dynamo families, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 3923–3933, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roperch, P. and R. A. Duncan, Records of geomagnetic reversals from volcanic islands of French Polynesia 1. Paleomagnetic study of a polarity transition in a lava sequence from the island of Huahine, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 2713–2726, 1990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shibuya, H., J. Cassidy, I. E. M. Smith, and T. Itaya, Paleomagnetism of young New Zealand basalts and longitudinal distribution of paleosecular variation, J. Geomag. Geoelectr., 47, 1011–1022, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, B. S., K. A. Hoffman, A. Chauvin, R. S. Coe, and M. S. Pringle, Dating transitionally magnetized lavas of the late Matuyama Chron: Toward a new 40Ar/39Ar timescale of reversals and events, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 679–693, 1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka, H., Circular asymmetry of the paleomagnetic directions observed at low latitude volcanic sites, Earth Planets Space, 51, 1279–1286, 2000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Y. Yamamoto

    Present address: Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, Tsukuba Central 7, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8551, Japan

    Y. Yamamoto, K. Shimura & H. Tsunakawa

  2. Institute for Frontier Research on Earth Evolution, 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan

    T. Kogiso & E. Kikawa

  3. Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, Tsukuba Central 7, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan

    K. Uto, H. Oda & T. Yamazaki

  4. ISTEEM, University de Montpellier II, Montpellier, France

    H. G. Barsczus

Authors
  1. Y. Yamamoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Shimura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. H. Tsunakawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T. Kogiso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. K. Uto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. H. G. Barsczus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. H. Oda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. T. Yamazaki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. E. Kikawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yamamoto, Y., Shimura, K., Tsunakawa, H. et al. Geomagnetic paleosecular variation for the past 5 Ma in the Society Islands, French Polynesia. Earth Planet Sp 54, 797–802 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351733

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351733

Keywords