Magnetostratigraphy and the geomagnetic polarity record

The global nature of geomagnetie polarity reversals makes magnetic polarity stratigraphy a powerful method of correlating one stratigraphic section with another, especially when carried out in conjunction with a biostratigraphic study. Evaluated together, the two data sets provide a more reliable and finer correlation of stratigraphic sections with each other —or with a magnetic polarity time scale — than is possible with one data set alone. An interesting and potentially valuable application of inte-grated magneto- and biostratigraphy studies is in sedimentary basin analy-sis, for example in determining sedimentation rates, or as the time base for analysis of cyclical patterns in sedimentation. Where different paleon-tological dating schemes have been used to date sections, the magnetie stratigraphy allows these to be compared and synchronised with each other. An important result of magnetostratigraphic research has been the correlation and dating of the polarity history obtained from oceanic mag