Paleomagnetic evidence for periods of intense oxidative weathering, McKinnons mine, Cobar, New South Wales

M Smith, B Pillans, Kenneth McQueen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The McKinnons gold mine, ~35 km southwest of Cobar in New South Wales is a non-operational opencut mine with extensive regolith profile development down to a depth of ~80 m. Twenty-three oriented paleomagnetic samples, from saprolite at different levels through the profile, yielded two welldefined paleomagnetic poles, one of Paleocene age (60+10 Ma), and the other of Miocene age (15+4 Ma). These reflect two periods of remagnetisation associated with deep, intense, oxidative weathering under humid conditions. They provide important time constraints for the history of climate change, weathering and landscape evolution of the Cobar region.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)201-212
Number of pages12
JournalAustralian Journal of Earth Sciences
Volume56
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009
Externally publishedYes

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