Magnetostratigraphy and environmental magnetism of two Quaternary deep-sea gravity cores from the west Pacific Southern Ocean

Abstract

We present new paleomagnetic data for Quaternary u channel samples from two deep-sea gravity cores from the west Pacific Southern Ocean. These cores were recovered in the Antarctic summers 1995–1996 during the oceanographic cruise of the R/V Italica. One was recovered beneath the present-day Antarctic Polar Front (Anta 95-157), and the other is from within the Antarctic Zone (Anta 96-16). The Matuyama- Brunhes boundary has been identified in both cores, with a longer history of sedimentation available in Anta 96-16. A detailed rock magnetic study shows discrete occurrences of ice rafted debris, which were influenced by 100-kyr orbital eccentricity variations during the Brunhes Chron. This is consistent with the main periodicity of the climate system since the mid-Pleistocene climate transition.