Continental magnetic anomaly constraints on continental reconstruction

• Main Authors: Vonfrese, R. R. B., Hinze, W. J., Olivier, R., Bentley, C. R.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 1985
• Subjects: 43; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19850023286

Crustal magnetic anomalies mapped by the MAGSAT satellite for North and South America, Europe, Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica and adjacent marine areas were adjusted to a common elevation of 400 km and differentially reduced to the radial pole of intensity 60,000 nT. These radially polarized anomalies are normalized for differential inclination, declination and intensity effects of the geomagnetic field, so that in principle they directly reflected the geometric and magnetic polarization attributes of sources which include regional petrologic variations of the crust and upper mantle, and crustal thickness and thermal perturbations. Continental anomalies demonstrate remarkably detailed correlation of regional magnetic sources across rifted margins when plotted on a reconstruction of Pangea. Accordingly, they suggest further fundamental constraints on the geologic evolution of the continents and their reconstructions.