Thursday, June 27, 2013

Geo 365: June 27, Day 178: Paleomag Borehole?

Returning to Yaquina Head after a three day diversion to the top of Marys Peak, this is one of several fairly recent (quite fresh and unweathered) boreholes in the cliff face along the south shore. I suspect this was a core taken for paleomagnetism studies. Certain kinds of rock can fairly effectively record the inclination and bearing of the earth's magnetic field at the time they were formed. If the rocks are displaced north-south, or rotationally (unfortunately, east-west movement isn't detectable with this method), differences between the recorded magnetic field and the modern one can be discerned.

Photo unmodified. March 7, 2012. FlashEarth location.

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