PALEOMAGNETIC RESULTS FROM THE PLEISTOCENE-HOLOCENE LAKE DEPOSITS OF BHIMTAL AND BHOWALI (KUMAUN HIMALAYA) AND LAMAYURU (LADAKH HIMALAYA) WITH REFERENCE TO THE REVERSAL EVENTS
Bs. Kotlia et al., PALEOMAGNETIC RESULTS FROM THE PLEISTOCENE-HOLOCENE LAKE DEPOSITS OF BHIMTAL AND BHOWALI (KUMAUN HIMALAYA) AND LAMAYURU (LADAKH HIMALAYA) WITH REFERENCE TO THE REVERSAL EVENTS, Journal of the Geological Society of India, 51(1), 1998, pp. 7-20
Palaeomagnetic studies were carried out in the fluvio-lacustrine sedim
ents of Bhimtal and Bhowali basins (Kumaun Himalaya) and of Lamayuru b
asin (Ladakh Himalaya). The results were supplemented by radiocarbon d
ating. For the first time in the terrestrial sediments of the Quaterna
ry-Holocene age in the Indian subcontinent, three minor reversal polar
ity events have been recorded at Lamayuru (ca 35.5 +/- 0.6 ka BP), Bhi
mtal (29.8-25.6 ka BP), and Bhowali (ca 7.7 +/- 0.13 ka BP). Since the
upper most portion of the Lamayuru section indicated a reversal event
, it may be significant to correlate it with the Indian Ocean event es
timated as 40 ka BP. It is suggested that the Bhimtal event may be cor
related with the widely known Mono Lake excursion which is fixed at 28
-26 ka BP. Among the Holocene events, only a few are known, e.g., an e
vent in the Solberga sediments (Sweden) estimated at ca 10 ka BP; an e
vent from Central Asia, dated at about 9 ka BP; the Erieau excursion,
upper part of which has been estimated at about 7.6 ka BP; and the you
ngest event known as the Starno event (2.8 ka BP). The initial reports
of the palaeomagnetic events, described in this paper, may be highly
significant for examining several more sections as the events should b
e found repeatedly in sediments of same age in a given sedimentary env
ironment.