Nature and Origin of Magnetic Lineations Within Valdivia Bank: Ocean Plateau Formation by Complex Seafloor Spreading
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Valdivia Bank (VB) is a Late Cretaceous oceanic plateau formed by volcanism from the Tristan-Gough hotspot at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). To better understand its origin and evolution, magnetic data were used to generate a magnetic anomaly grid, which was inverted to determine crustal magnetization. The magnetization model reveals quasi-linear polarity zones crossing the plateau and following expected MAR paleo-locations, implying formation by seafloor spreading over ∼4 Myr during the formation of anomalies C34n-C33r. Paleomagnetism and biostratigraphy data from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 391 confirm the magnetic interpretation. Anomaly C33r is split into two negative bands, likely by a westward ridge jump. One of these negative anomalies coincides with deep rift valleys, indicating their age and mechanism of formation. These findings imply that VB originated by seafloor spreading-type volcanism during a plate reorganization, not from a vertical stack of lava flows as expected for a large volcano.
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Thoram, S., Sager, W. W., Gaastra, K., et al.. "Nature and Origin of Magnetic Lineations Within Valdivia Bank: Ocean Plateau Formation by Complex Seafloor Spreading." Geophysical Research Letters, 50, no. 13 (2023) Wiley: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103415.