Geomagnetic field intensity between 70 000 and 130 000 years B.P. from a volcanic sequence on La Réunion, Indian Ocean

A detailed paleointensity study was made of a sequence of 70 successive lava flows of the Piton des Neiges volcano on the island of La Réunion (Indian Ocean). Radiometric dating brackets the age of this sequence between 130 ± 3 ka and 72 ± 3 ka. Rock magnetic investigations show that titanomagnetites in the pseudo single domain range are the main magnetic carrier of the Natural Remanent Magnetisation (NRM). Over 350 samples were used for paleointensity determinations carried out with the Thellier method in vacuum or in an argon atmosphere. Of these, 89 samples yielded reliable results, with within-flow scatter often lower than 20%. These results indicate that the geomagnetic field intensity has varied at La Réunion between 13 and 65 μT during the period of time explored. The average value, 42 μT, is higher than the present field at La Réunion (35 μT). The results from the upper part of the section are consistent with previous results obtained for the 82–98 ka period also at La Réunion [1] and document a broad low around 95 ka. not associated with large directional changes. On a larger geographic scale, the paleointensity values from La Réunion are significantly higher than those obtained from Mount Etna [2]. Precise comparison is, however, difficult because of the lack of detail in the Etna results. In the lower part of the section, a marked intensity low, coinciding with significant deviation from the dipole field direction is observed at 115 ka and could correspond to the end of the Blake event.