Ys. Kok et L. Tauxe, SAW-TOOTHED PATTERN OF RELATIVE PALEOINTENSITY RECORDS AND CUMULATIVEVISCOUS REMANENCE, Earth and planetary science letters, 137(1-4), 1996, pp. 95-99
Several studies of relative paleointensity data derived from marine se
diments spanning the last 4 Myr display an asymmetrical ''saw-toothed'
' pattern. Polarity reversals of the geomagnetic field are associated
with low points in paleofield intensity, preceded by a long-term progr
essive decay of the field and followed by a rapid post-transitional re
covery [1-3]. Since similar behavior is observed in far-flung sites wh
ose rock magnetic records are different, it is argued that the world-w
ide ''saw-toothing'' represents geomagnetic field behavior [3]. We pre
sent an alternative explanation, calling on the effect of ''hard'' vis
cous remanence.