HR: 1330h
AN: GP13A-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Band Iron Formations and Satellite Magnetic Anomalies
AU: * Nazarova, K A
EM: katianh@core2.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: Raytheon/ITSS, Geodynamics Branch NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Wasilewski, P
EM: Peter.Wasilewski@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AB: Band Iron Formations (BIF) are mainly Precambrian (2.5-1.8 Ga) sedimentary deposits and are composed of alternating layers of iron rich material and silica (chert). Precambrian BIF mark growth in the level of free oxygen in the atmosphere and the ocean which happened about 2.2 Ga. Distribution of main BIF includes Hamersley Range, Australia; Transvaal-Griquatown, South Africa; Minas Gerais, Brazil; Labrador Trough, Canada, and Kursk-Krivoi Rog (Russia). Together these five very large BIF deposits constitute about 90 percent of Earth's total estimated BIF (5.76*10 14 ). On each continent these ancient rocks usually metamorphosed and crystallized include what are variously described as hematite-quartzites, banded iron formations, banded jaspers or calico-rocks. West African, Hudson Bay and Western Australian Satellite Magnetic Anomalies coincide with distribution BIF deposits. The Kursk Satellite Magnetic Anomaly (KMA) (about 22 nT at the altitude=400km, centered at 51o N, 37o E) also was identified by ground and aeromagnetic observations and is recognized as one of the largest magnetic anomaly on the Earth. Magnetic modeling shows that immense Precambrian iron ore deposits (iron bands) of Voronezh uplift are the main source of KMA. Magnetic properties of 10000 BIF samples outcropped in the KMA area have been measured and analyzed (Krutikhovskaya et al., 1964) Rockmag BIF dataset is presented at: http://core2.gsfc.nasa.gov/MPDB/datasets.html. Mean NRM value is about 42 A/M, Qn about 1.4. Demagnetization tests suggest that hard and stable NRM component is caused by hematite occurring in BIF in different forms and grain sizes. Hematite deposits discovered on Mars in western equatorial area with layered topography of Aram Chaos and Sinus Meridiani could be of hydrothermal origin and may be formed similar to hematite precipitated in BIF on Earth.
DE: 1517 Magnetic anomaly modeling
DE: 4802 Anoxic environments
SC: Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism [GP]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly