Lower Cambrian-Ediacaran Paleogeography and True Polar Wander with New Paleomagnetic Constraints from West African Craton

Abstract:

Paleomagnetic data from Laurentia and Baltica continents suggest fast large oscillations of the virtual geomagnetic poles (VGP) from high to low latitudes during the Ediacaran (635-542 Ma). These data are interpreted in the literature either as oscillations of the Earth magnetic dipole between polar and equatorial positions, or as True Polar Wander (TPW), implying a very fast tumbling of continents and perhaps, of whole Earth. In this study, we try to test these hypotheses by bringing new paleomagnetic data on volcanic series from another continent, the West African Craton (WAC). We have sampled well dated pyroclastic and lava flows from the Ouarzazate and Taroudant groups in the Anti-Atlas, (Morocco). 480 samples from 105 sites were thermally demagnetized in our laboratory. Our preliminary results highlight two major groups of directions, mainly carried by hematite, magnetite also contributing sometimes to the magnetization. The first group consists of a dual polarity high inclination direction that may represent the original magnetization. The observed paleolatitude is compatible with that predicted by the lower Cambrian-Ediacaran apparent polar wander path (APWP) of Gondwana, assuming that the WAC was already accreted to Gondwana at this age. Nevertheless, a complete agreement between our pole and the APWP needs a local rotation of around 80° on a vertical axis. The second group displays a single polarity direction, with a shallow inclination and a south-east declination. This direction is close to the expected direction derived from the Permo-Carboniferous segment of the Gondwana APWP, and may represent a remagnetization acquired during the Kiaman reversed polarity superchron. Our preliminary paleomagnetic results thus display large changes in the VGP position, as also evidenced by others on Baltica and Laurentia. However, their interpretation does not favor TPW episodes or equatorial Earth magnetic dipole during the lower Cambrian-Ediacaran periods, but localized contamination of the original directions by Late Hercynian remagnetizations.