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OFTHE EARTH
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ELSEVIER Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 85 (1994) 173—180 _____________________
Abstract
The magnetic polarity stratigraphy from a lacustrine sequence of the Baza Basin (Betic Chain, Southern Spain)
has been interpreted as having a Lower Pleistocene age. Fifty-nine paleomagnetic sites have been obtained and a set
of 179 specimens has been demagnetized with both thermal and alternating field procedures. Several magnetic
parameters, that depend on the lithology, have been obtained. The characteristic remanent magnetization polarity
has been unambiguously recovered over the whole sequence.
The materials studied span chron lr.2, located in the upper Matuyama epoch. This allows the placement of the
faunas studied, ranging from the Late Villanyian to the Late Biharian, in the magnetic polarity time scale (MPTS).
This work also proves that magnetostratigraphy can be established in lacustrine sediments even with extremely low
magnetic intensities.
The Baza Basin is a useful site for establishing Zone is made up of cover materials which mainly
the magnetostratigraphy of Neogene continental consist of Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks. The
stages owing to the occurrence of continuous Internal Zone is broadly formed by Paleozoic and
outcrops that furnish abundant paleontological Triassic thrust sheet basement units.
sites. The Guadix—Baza Depression (Fig. 1) is lo-
cated in the contact between the External and
Internal zones and its origin is related to a set of
2. Geological setting faults oriented northwest—southeast and north-
northeast—south-southwest that fonned a depres-
The Betic Chain is an Alpine fold and thrust sion where Neogene sediments accumulated (Sanz
belt which extends along the southern Iberian de Galdeano and Vera, 1992). This depression
Peninsula. On a large scale, it can be considered embraces several basins such as the Baza Basin.
as the westernmost edge of the Alpine European The Baza Basin fill sequence provides continuous
fold belts. outcrop with plenty of paleontological sites that
In detail, the Betic Chain has a complicated provide continental micromammal faunas. Agusti
structure of folds and large thrusts which is be- (1986) proposes a local micromammal biozona-
lieved to have originated by the westward em- tion that spans from the Late Miocene to the
placement of the Alboran microplate on to the Middle Pleistocene for the Baza Basin.
South Iberian passive margin during the Neogene Several environments have been distinguished
(Andrieux et al., 1971; Balanyá and Garcia- in the Baza Basin that allow the separation of
Dueñas, 1987). This complex geodynamic history two main domains in the basin (Vera 1970). A
has led to a division of the Betic Chain into the marginal domain, mainly alluvial, represented by
Internal and the External zones. The External the Guadix Formation and a distal domain, de-
HI
~ MEDITERRANEAN SEA
ST DYAREAS~°T~~
— 0 20 km Metamorphic rocks
Fig. 1. Geological map of the Guadix—Baza Depression and its location in the main Neogene basins of the Betics (modified from
Anadón et al., 1986).
0. Oms et a!. /Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 85 (1994) 173—180 175
posited in the center of the basin and repre- cies transitions to evaporitic gypsiferous se-
sented by several formations, of which the Baza quences towards the center of the basin. Similar
Formation is the most widespread. changes occur in the Cortes de Baza area.
In the northeastern part of the Baza Basin
(Orce area), Vera et al. (1985) defined two mem-
bers: a mainly alluvial ‘red detrital member’, 3. The section studied: biostratigraphy and abso-
overlain by a mainly lacustrine ‘upper silty- lute dating
calcareous member’. Anadón et al. (1986) inter-
preted this upper member as the deposits of a The section studied, located in the surround-
slightly saline lake. The same authors stated that ings of the village of Cortes de Baza, corresponds
the deposits in the Orce region show lateral fa- to the western area of the Baza Formation out-
__ H
______ CB 88
_ H
J*CB1
0ni’.’—’~~’’ :1:1
-2.5 0 2.5 5 7.5 10 1 1O~ 10 -90° .450 00
LEGEND
Fig. 2. Lithological log of the Cortes de Baza section with susceptibility, NRM intensity and VGP latitudes obtained from the
paleomagnetic sites. All sites display clear reversed polarities although VGP values are not well aligned.
176 0. Oms et al. /Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 85 (1994) 173—180
CORTES DE BAZA BIOZONES tween 126 and 161 kyear. The crystals of diage-
SECTION ~ ~ & netic gypsum that cross the marls only contained
top older 17 . 0.1 ppm of 238U and showed isotopic equilibrium
(U,Thf}-CB88~ ~ (234U/238U = 1.07 ±0.04 and 230Th/234U = 0.98
Alloph. pliocaenicus Mm Q
2 ~ ±0.03). Therefore, an age over 300 kyear is ob-
M. ~. LCB 1~7M. ostramosensis Mm 0, ~/~ tamed for the diagenetic gypsum. The isotopic234U/
tomens,s pliocaenicus
Mimomys poloflicus MN1617b
MN 8 composition
238U ratio of of0.90
ostracod valves showed
that suggests a
the possible mi-
Mimomys haJnackensis MN 16 a ~ .
GSD-5 tumbling-specimen demagnetizer (both of With AF cleaning, the steps were of 2.5 mT
the Schonstedt Instrument Company). The sam- from NRM to 15 mT. The rest was carried out
ples were measured with a GM-400 three-axes with steps of 5 mT until the intensity was very low
cryogenic magnetometer (Cryogenic Consultants or until 100 mT.
Ltd). During TH cleaning, susceptibility was
checked with a KLY-2 bridge (Geofyzika AS) in
order to monitor mineralogical alteration of the 5. Results
samples during heating.
At least three specimens per site were demag- Initial intensity and susceptibility appeared to
netized with both AF and TH methods. Pilot be related to different kinds of lithologies. Five
suites, containing specimens of every site, were groups of lithologies have been established and
demagnetized in very short steps. Thermal clean- are shown in Table 1.
ing was carried out in very close steps especially Demagnetization artifacts resulting from the
where unblocking temperatures become critical, overlap of the coercivity spectra of two compo-
which depends on the lithological type. Usually nents have been observed. This made thermal
this procedure involved up to 17 steps of demag- demagnetization the only fully reliable method to
netization. Later on, the bulk of the samples were elucidate the structure of the magnetic compo-
treated with a typical demagnetization program nents as sometimes with AF only a secondary
consisting of wider spaced steps, depending on magnetization was demagnetized. Regardless,
the lithologies. some sites provided a stable demagnetization be-
up, w
2500C
~ THERMAL DEMAGNETIZATION
• horizontal
o vertical
NRM:8.O1O~Nm
Fig. 4. Standard Zijderveld plot of a limestone thermally demagnetized. Note how it displays a very simple demagnetization
behavior with no more than two components, and how a secondary antiparallel remagnetization is successfully demagnetized. The
ChRM can be easily established.
178 0. Oms et al. /Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 85 (1994) 173—180
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