THE PALAEOMAGNETISM OF THE KAINOZOIC BASALTS OF VICTORIA

Summary. The average geomagnetic pole position consistent with the magnetization of the Newer Volcanics of Victoria, which are for the most part of Pleistocene age, coincides with the present geographic pole just as do all pole determinations from Miocene and later rock formations from the Northern Hemisphere. During this time it appears that the Earth's magnetic field has approximated, on average, to that of a geocentric axial dipole and that the land masses concerned have maintained their present positions. In contrast, the pole determined from Lower Tertiary Volcanics of Victoria does not agree with the geographic pole nor with equivalent determinations from the Northern Hemisphere, suggesting that the relative positions of the continents may have been different in the past.