A Late Cretaceous-Eocene Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (MQSD20) that
steadies spreading rates on multiple mid-ocean ridge flanks
Abstract
Magnetic anomalies over mid-ocean ridge flanks record the history of
geomagnetic field reversals, and the width of magnetized crustal blocks
can be combined with absolute dates to generate a Geomagnetic Polarity
Time Scale (GPTS). We update here the current GPTS for the Late
Cretaceous-Eocene (chrons C33-C13, ~84-33 Ma) by
extending to several spreading centers the analysis that originally
assumed smoothly varying spreading rates in the South Atlantic. We
assembled magnetic anomaly tracks from the southern Pacific (23 ship
tracks), the northern Pacific (35), the southern Atlantic (33), and the
Indian Ocean (55). Tracks were projected onto plate tectonic flow line,
and distances to magnetic polarity block boundaries were estimated by
fitting measured magnetic anomalies with a Monte Carlo algorithm that
iteratively changed block model distances and anomaly skewness angles.
Distance data from each track were then assembled in summary sets of
block model distances over 13 ridge flank regions. We obtained a final
MQSD20 GPTS with another Monte Carlo algorithm that iteratively perturbs
ages of polarity chron boundaries to minimize the variability of
spreading rates over all ridge flanks and fit an up-to-date set of
radioisotopic dates. The MQSD20 GPTS highlights a major plate motion
change at ~47 Ma, when spreading rates decreased in the
Indian Ocean as India collided with Eurasia while spreading rates
increased in the South Atlantic and Northern Pacific and the
Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain changed its orientation.