Oceanic basalt magnetic properties and the Vine and Matthews Hypothesis

Konigsberger ratios of DSDP basalts were rather low (mean value around 7) but were usually high enough to justify interpreting oceanic anomalies with a remanent magnetization model. Natural remanent magnetizations were considerably lower than in dredged basalts but were strong enough to account for amplitudes of oceanic magnetic anomalies. Both stable and unstable remanent types were encountered. The observed stable inclinations showed a large scatter when compared to expected inclinations, largely due to non-cancellation of secular variation. All the basalts were categorized in deuteric oxidation Class I by opaque petrology observations. Extensive maghemitization, inferred from thermomagnetic analyses, may explain the low NRM intensities. Unstable specimens easily acquired large viscous remanent magnetizations, in some cases as large as the NRM. The basalt magnetic properties were in general accord with the expectations of the Vine and Matthews hypothesis.           ARK: https://n2t.net/ark:/88439/y075179 Permalink: https://geophysicsjournal.com/article/103 &nbsp