The wandering pole: tracing the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole in the face of secular variation
Paleomagnetism serves as the principal tool for the quantitative reconstruction of Earth’s paleogeography, thereby providing key input for geodynamics, paleoclimatology and paleobiology. Paleomagnetic data have been used for >60 years to quantify the apparent motion of the time-averaged paleomagn...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Conference Object |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2023
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5018831 |
id |
ftgfzpotsdam:oai:gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de:item_5018831 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftgfzpotsdam:oai:gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de:item_5018831 2023-10-09T21:51:41+02:00 The wandering pole: tracing the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole in the face of secular variation Vaes, B. 2023 https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5018831 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.57757/IUGG23-2015 https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5018831 XXVIII General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) info:eu-repo/semantics/conferenceObject 2023 ftgfzpotsdam https://doi.org/10.57757/IUGG23-2015 2023-09-17T23:43:20Z Paleomagnetism serves as the principal tool for the quantitative reconstruction of Earth’s paleogeography, thereby providing key input for geodynamics, paleoclimatology and paleobiology. Paleomagnetic data have been used for >60 years to quantify the apparent motion of the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole relative to a fixed continent or tectonic plate through time. By assuming that the time-averaged geomagnetic pole coincides with the Earth’s spin axis, this polar motion can be translated into the motion of a continent or plate relative to the geographic pole. However, obtaining a reliable estimate of the time-averaged pole position requires the averaging of the short-term, secular variation of Earth’s magnetic field. Here, I show that coeval paleomagnetic poles derived from datasets underrepresenting paleosecular variation or based on a smaller number of paleomagnetic sites are more dispersed and often biased compared to poles that adequately sample secular variation. This reveals that the degree to which paleosecular variation is averaged is an important contributor to uncertainties and bias in estimates of the paleomagnetic pole position. Moreover, the most widely used method to correct sediment-derived paleomagnetic poles for the notorious problem of inclination shallowing relies on both a model of paleosecular variation as well as on the assumption that secular variation is adequately represented by the dataset. In this study, I highlight the importance of a thorough understanding of secular variation throughout geological time for the use of paleomagnetism as a quantitative tool for the reconstruction of paleogeography. Conference Object Geomagnetic Pole GFZpublic (German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
GFZpublic (German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam) |
op_collection_id |
ftgfzpotsdam |
language |
English |
description |
Paleomagnetism serves as the principal tool for the quantitative reconstruction of Earth’s paleogeography, thereby providing key input for geodynamics, paleoclimatology and paleobiology. Paleomagnetic data have been used for >60 years to quantify the apparent motion of the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole relative to a fixed continent or tectonic plate through time. By assuming that the time-averaged geomagnetic pole coincides with the Earth’s spin axis, this polar motion can be translated into the motion of a continent or plate relative to the geographic pole. However, obtaining a reliable estimate of the time-averaged pole position requires the averaging of the short-term, secular variation of Earth’s magnetic field. Here, I show that coeval paleomagnetic poles derived from datasets underrepresenting paleosecular variation or based on a smaller number of paleomagnetic sites are more dispersed and often biased compared to poles that adequately sample secular variation. This reveals that the degree to which paleosecular variation is averaged is an important contributor to uncertainties and bias in estimates of the paleomagnetic pole position. Moreover, the most widely used method to correct sediment-derived paleomagnetic poles for the notorious problem of inclination shallowing relies on both a model of paleosecular variation as well as on the assumption that secular variation is adequately represented by the dataset. In this study, I highlight the importance of a thorough understanding of secular variation throughout geological time for the use of paleomagnetism as a quantitative tool for the reconstruction of paleogeography. |
format |
Conference Object |
author |
Vaes, B. |
spellingShingle |
Vaes, B. The wandering pole: tracing the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole in the face of secular variation |
author_facet |
Vaes, B. |
author_sort |
Vaes, B. |
title |
The wandering pole: tracing the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole in the face of secular variation |
title_short |
The wandering pole: tracing the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole in the face of secular variation |
title_full |
The wandering pole: tracing the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole in the face of secular variation |
title_fullStr |
The wandering pole: tracing the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole in the face of secular variation |
title_full_unstemmed |
The wandering pole: tracing the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole in the face of secular variation |
title_sort |
wandering pole: tracing the time-averaged paleomagnetic pole in the face of secular variation |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5018831 |
genre |
Geomagnetic Pole |
genre_facet |
Geomagnetic Pole |
op_source |
XXVIII General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.57757/IUGG23-2015 https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5018831 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.57757/IUGG23-2015 |
_version_ |
1779314817217069056 |