Paleomagnetism of Middle Miocene Volcanic Rocks in the Mojave-Sonora Desert Region of Western Arizona and Southeastern California

Paleomagnetic directions have been obtained from 190 early to middle Miocene (12–20 Ma) mafic volcanic flows in 16 mountain ranges in the Mojave-Sonora desert region of western Arizona and southeastern California. These flows generally postdate early Miocene tectonic deformation accommodated by low-angle normal faults but predate high-angle normal faulting in the region. After detailed demagnetization experiments, 179 flows yielded characteristic directions interpreted as original thermal remanent magnetizations (TRM). Because of the episodic nature of basaltic volcanism in this region, the 179 flows yielded only 65 time-distinct virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs). The angular dispersion of the 65 VGPs is consistent with the angular dispersion expected for a data set that has adequately averaged geomagnetic secular variation. The paleomagnetic pole calculated from the 65 cooling unit VGPs is located at 85.5°N, 108.9° within a 4.4° circle of 95% confidence. This pole is statistically indistinguishable (at 95% confidence) from reference poles calculated from rocks of similar age in stable North America and from a paleomagnetic pole calculated from rocks of similar age in Baja California. The coincidence of paleomagnetic poles from the Mojave-Sonora desert region with reference poles from the stable continental interior indicates that (1) significant vertical axis net tectonic rotations have not accompanied post-middle Miocene high-angle normal faulting in this region; (2) there has been no detectable post-middle Miocene latitudinal transport of the region; and (3) long-term nondipole components of the middle Miocene geomagnetic field probably were no larger than those of the recent (0–5 Ma) geomagnetic field. In contrast, paleomagnetic data indicate vertical axis rotations of similar age rocks in the Transverse Ranges, the Eastern Transverse Ranges, and the Mojave Block. We speculate that a major structural discontinuity in the vicinity of the southeastward projection of the Death Valley fault zone separates western areas affected by vertical axis rotations from eastern areas that have not experienced such rotations

On the relationship between palaeomagnetic secular variation and excursions-records from MIS 8-ODP leg 172

Author Posting. © Oxford University Press, 2021. This article is posted here by permission of [publisher] for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Lund, S., Acton, G., Clement, B., Okada, M., & Keigwin, L. On the relationship between palaeomagnetic secular variation and excursions-records from MIS 8-ODP leg 172. Geophysical Journal International, 225(2), (2021): 1129-1141, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggaa564.Palaeomagnetic secular variation (PSV) and excursion data obtained across MIS 8 (243–300 ka) from the western North Atlantic Ocean ODP (Ocean Drilling Program) sites 1060–1063 show composite high-resolution PSV records (both directions and relative palaeointensity) developed for each site and intercompared. Two methods of chronostratigraphy allow us to date these records. First, we used published results that compared the calcium carbonate records of ODP Leg 172 sediments and tuned them with Milankovich cyclicity. We also compared our palaeointensity records with the PISO-1500 global palaeointensity record that was dated with oxygen isotope stratigraphy. We prefer the PISO-1500 record to date our cores. Two excursions are preserved in our PSV records—Excursions 8α and 9α. Our revised age estimates for both excursions are 8α (236.7–239.8 ka) and 9α (283.7–286.9 ka). We have compared shipboard measurements of the two excursions with u-channel measurements of selected excursion intervals. Excursion 8α is interpreted as a ‘Class II’ excursion (local reversal) with in-phase inclination and declination changes; Excursion 9α is a ‘Class I’ excursion with 90° out-of-phase inclination and declination changes. Averaged directions (after removal of true excursional directions) and relative palaeointensity in 3 and 9 ka overlapping intervals show significant PSV directional variability over 104 yr timescales that is regionally correlatable among the four sites. A notable pattern of angular dispersion variability involves most time spent with low (∼10°) dispersion, with three shorter intervals of high (∼25°) dispersion. The relative palaeointensity variability also shows significant variability over 104 yr timescales with three notable intervals of low palaeointensity in all four records and a direct correspondence between the three low-palaeointensity intervals and the three intervals of high angular dispersion. The two magnetic field excursions occur in two of the three low-palaeointensity/high-dispersion intervals. This suggests that the geomagnetic field operates in two states between reversals, one with regular to high palaeointensity and low directional variability and one with low palaeointensity and significantly higher directional variability and excursions

The late Eocene greenhouse-icehouse transition: Observations from the Massignano global stratotoype section and point (GSSP)

none4Geol. Soc. Amer. Spec. PaperopenL. JOVANE; R. COCCIONI; A. MARSILI; G. ACTONL., Jovane; Coccioni, Rodolfo; Marsili, Andrea; G., Acto

Probing Quark Fragmentation Functions for Spin-1/2 Baryon Production in Unpolarized e+e−e^+e^- Annihilation

We study the measurement of the quark fragmentation functions for spin-1/2 baryon production ($\Lambda$ and $\bar \Lambda$, in particular) in unpolarized $e^+e^-$ annihilation. The spin-dependent fragmentation functions $\hat g_1(z)$ and $\hat h_1(z)$ can be probed in the process as a result of quark-antiquark spin correlation and the weak decay of the baryons. The relevant cross section is expressed as a product of the two-jet cross-section, the fragmentation functions, and the differential width of the hyperon decay.Comment: 17 pages, ReVTeX with (1 figure available from authors), MIT-CTP: #236

The Analytic Signal and Cross-Correlation Applied in Rapid, Detailed Analysis of Aeromagnetic and Radiometric Data

The analytic signal, which is derived from two-dimensional magnetic data sets, can be used to map magnetic boundaries or changes in susceptibility. As air-rock boundaries in steep terrains represent a change in susceptibility, there is an ambiguity between terrain and geology. This was evident in the trace of the analytic signal for the Goonaloom Creek area and the ambiguity could not be resolved satisfactorily by comparison of the analytic signal trace and the known geology. When applied to a small scale, high definition aeromagnetic data set, the analytic signal trace was fragmented by grid corrugation. The Laplacian convolution filter suggested by McLeod et al., (1993), accentuated the noise artifacts. The application of the analytic signal to the mid-latitude data of this project gave no advantages over reduce-to-pole methods, although this may not be the case at low magnetic latitudes. Cross-correlation in the Fourier plane is defined as the multiplication of one transformed signal by the complex conjugate of the second transformed signal. In a commercial image processing package such as ER Mapper, cross correlation is easily implemented. Cross-correlation of the total magnetic intensity and potassium-40 counts is useful in targeting areas of where hydrothermal activity has occurred. In the case of the Goonaloom Creek survey, the correlation anomaly can be interpreted as porphyry mineralization zoning under the Lowell and Guilbert (1970) model. This may also be the case for an area two kilometres south of Mt. Hastings mine west of Biggenden, Queensland. The cross-correlation of the first vertical derivative of the total magnetic field intensity and potassium-40 defines areas of possible structurally-controlled, near-surface mineralization

Fragmentation Functions for Pions, Kaons, and Protons at Next-to-Leading Order

We present new sets of fragmentation functions for charged pions, charged kaons, and protons, both at the leading and next-to-leading orders. They are fitted to the scaled-momentum distributions of these hadrons measured in e+e- annihilation on the Z-boson resonance at CERN LEP1 and SLAC SLC. These data partly come as light-, charm-, bottom-quark-enriched and gluon-jet samples, which allows us to treat all partons independently, after imposing the SU(2) flavour symmetry relations. In order to gain sensitivity to the scaling violation in fragmentation, we also include data from SLAC PEP, with center-of-mass energy root(s)=29 GeV, in our fits. This allows us to also determine the strong-coupling constant, with a competitive error. LEP1 data on the longitudinal cross section as well as DESY DORIS and PETRA data at lower energies nicely agree with theoretical predictions based on our fragmentation functions.Comment: 28 pages, 11 eps figure

Expedition 306 summary

The overall aim of the North Atlantic paleoceanography study of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 306 is to place late Neogene–Quaternary climate proxies in the North Atlantic into a chronology based on a combination of geomagnetic paleointensity, stable isotope, and detrital layer stratigraphies, and in so doing generate integrated North Atlantic millennial-scale stratigraphies for the last few million years. To reach this aim, complete sedimentary sections were drilled by multiple advanced piston coring directly south of the central Atlantic “ice-rafted debris belt” and on the southern Gardar Drift. In addition to the North Atlantic paleoceanography study, a borehole observatory was successfully installed in a new ~180 m deep hole close to Ocean Drilling Program Site 642, consisting of a circulation obviation retrofit kit to seal the borehole from the overlying ocean, a thermistor string, and a data logger to document and monitor bottom water temperature variations through time

Measurement of the partial widths of the Z into up- and down-type quarks

Using the entire OPAL LEP1 on-peak Z hadronic decay sample, Z -> qbarq gamma decays were selected by tagging hadronic final states with isolated photon candidates in the electromagnetic calorimeter. Combining the measured rates of Z -> qbarq gamma decays with the total rate of hadronic Z decays permits the simultaneous determination of the widths of the Z into up- and down-type quarks. The values obtained, with total errors, were Gamma u = 300 ^{+19}_{-18} MeV and Gamma d = 381 ^{+12}_{-12} MeV. The results are in good agreement with the Standard Model expectation.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to Phys. Letts.