Ja. Tarduno et al., BIOGEOCHEMICAL REMANENT MAGNETIZATION IN PELAGIC SEDIMENTS OF THE WESTERN EQUATORIAL PACIFIC-OCEAN, Geophysical research letters, 25(21), 1998, pp. 3987-3990
Paleomagnetic data from pelagic sediments are an important source of i
nformation on the history of the geomagnetic field. However, fundament
al uncertainties about how these sediments acquire their magnetization
s remain. Here we address whether biogenic magnetite, formed at depth
within the sediments, can contribute to remanent magnetizations. In se
diments of the western equatorial Pacific Ocean (ODP Site 805), biogen
ic magnetite found near the Fe-redox boundary carries a natural remane
nt magnetization. Because the production of biogenic magnetite is tied
to the geochemical zonation of the sediments, we call this magnetizat
ion a biogeochemical remanence. These data indicate that some pelagic
sediments can continue to acquire remanence significantly after the po
st-depositional lock-in of detrital magnetic grains.