Ted Irving's legacy: recent developments on his pioneering work in paleomagnetism

Abstract:

Edward (Ted) Irving (1927-2014) was one of the principal developers of paleomagnetism and an early champion of continental drift. Through careful multidisciplinary research and with great insight, he pioneered many aspects of paleomagnetism which continue to be actively researched. Irving was convinced of the reality of continental drift by 1954 and provided compelling arguments for its support in his classic 1964 textbook, but thought it would take the rest of his career to convince the rest of the scientific community. With the acceptance of plate tectonics in the late 1960s, he then applied his paleomagnetic tools to study young rocks (mid-ocean ridges), old rocks (the Laurentian shield), and mobile belts (the Appalachians and the Cordillera). In this poster we highlight recent work on several of his methods, results and ideas. Topics will include spherical statistics and paleosecular variation, the geomagnetic polarity time scale and the Kiaman superchron, paleoclimatic tests of paleogeography, compilation of paleomagnetic poles and the definition of apparent polar wander paths, and the paleogeography of cratons (e.g., Pangea) and mobile belts (e.g., Baja BC).