RECURRING TRANSITIONAL GEOMAGNETIC-FIELD GEOMETRIES - EVIDENCE FROM SEDIMENTS AND LAVAS

Records of the geomagnetic polarity transitions bounding the Nunivak S ubchron have been obtained from the Suva Marl, Fiji (18.2 degrees S, 1 78.5 degrees E). The transitional virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) posit ions cluster near southern South America and are remarkably similar to the VGP paths for these same reversals obtained from Sicily. The lowe r Nunivak VGP path and relative intensity record are also very similar to a lower Pliocene reverse to normal (R to N) polarity transition re corded in lavas on Kauai. The similarities in these transition records from both lava and sediment records suggests that an inclined near-di polar state of the transitional field recurred in these back to back r eversals.