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Syntectonic remagnetization in the southern Methow block: Resolving large displacements in the southern Canadian Cordillera
Author(s) -
Enkin Randolph J.,
Mahoney J. B.,
Baker Judith,
Kiessling Mark,
Haugerud Ralph A.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
tectonics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.465
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1944-9194
pISSN - 0278-7407
DOI - 10.1029/2001tc001294
Subject(s) - geology , cretaceous , block (permutation group theory) , remanence , paleontology , structural basin , paleomagnetism , seismology , magnetization , geometry , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , magnetic field
The Upper Cretaceous Ventura Member of the Goat Wall unit in the southern Methow block of southern British Columbia and northern Washington State holds a syntectonic magnetization. Eight new sites from Manning Park in British Columbia give a mean direction of D = 27.5°, I = 60.1°, k = 304.7, α 95 = 3.2° after optimal partial tilt correction. Of five groups of bedded sites from farther south in the basin reported by Bazard et al. [1990], four have a syntectonic remanence with a direction similar to what we observe. The exception is one group which has optimal concentration of remanence directions on >100% untilting and an abherent direction which must be rejected. Combining the accepted sites, the optimal differential syntilting direction is D = 11.8°, I = 61.5°, k = 39.3, α 95 = 3.4° ( N = 47), giving a mean pole of 79.8°N, 359.2°E, K = 19.5, and A 95 = 4.8°. The age of the remagnetization is constrained to be between 88 and 80 Ma. Compared to cratonic North America, this result indicates that the southern Methow block was displaced from the south by 1800 ± 500 km, meaning it lay south of the Sierra Nevada subduction zone but well north of other paleomagnetically constrained Cretaceous rock units from the Insular superterrane, including correlative strata of the Mount Tatlow area in the northern Methow block. Among several possibilities to reconcile this discrepancy, the most plausible has the whole Methow block translated coherently but with the southern Methow block strata remagnetized during transit.