Chemical overprint on the natural remanent magnetization of a subtropical red soil sequence in the Bose Basin, southern China

Abstract

We present a high-resolution paleomagnetic investigation of the subtropical red soil sequence at the Damei section, Bose Basin, southern China. Maghemite with low coercivities and fine-grained hematite with high coercivities but relatively low unblocking temperatures were identified as main carriers of the natural remanent magnetization (NRM). Strong chemical weathering occurring under subtropical climatic conditions in southern China led to a chemical remanent magnetization (CRM) overprint that is sufficiently strong to mask the primary NRM. Analysis of the Bose Basin soil sequence indicates that the CRM has a large lock-in depth (>4 m). This example shows that magnetostratigraphic studies on red soil sequences in subtropical-tropical southern China should be interpreted with caution. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.