High geomagnetic field intensity recorded by anorthosite xenoliths requires a strongly powered late Mesoproterozoic geodynamo

Yiming Zhang; Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell; Margaret Susan Avery; Roger R. Fu

doi:10.1073/pnas.2202875119

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High geomagnetic field intensity recorded by anorthosite xenoliths requires a strongly powered late Mesoproterozoic geodynamo

Yiming Zhang·Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell·Margaret Susan Avery·Roger R. Fu

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Abstract

Acquiring high-fidelity ancient magnetic field intensity records from rocks is crucial for constraining the long-term evolution of Earth’s core. However, robust estimates of ancient field strengths are often difficult to recover due to alteration or nonideal behavior. We use rocks known as anorthosite that formed in the deep crust and were brought to the near surface where they acquired thermal remanent magnetizations. These rocks have experienced minimal postformation alteration and yield high-quality paleointensity estimates. In contrast to scenarios of a progressively decaying field leading up to a proposed late nucleation of Earth’s inner core, these data record a strong field 1.1 Ga. A strong field that persisted over a 14-My interval indicates the existence of appreciable power sources for Earth’s dynamo at this time.

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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 45.27388550973171° to 49.72355968028049° latitude; -93.80789539592146° to -82.82156727092155° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Yiming Zhang, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Margaret Susan Avery, Roger R. Fu. 2022-07-11. High geomagnetic field intensity recorded by anorthosite xenoliths requires a strongly powered late Mesoproterozoic geodynamo. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2202875119

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