Paleomagnetic directional groups and paleointensity from the flood basalt in the Tarim large igneous province: implications for eruption frequency

We present paleomagnetic secular variation and paleointensity from the Early Permian Tarim large igneous province, NW China. The studied sections comprise a total of ~400 m of basaltic flows. Paleomagnetic directions were determined for 11 flows. Four successive flows with a cumulative thickness of ~150 m showed a statistically identical paleomagnetic direction. Assuming a paleosecular variation speed similar to that of the present day, the ~150-m-thick basalt was estimated to have erupted within the past few centuries. Paleointensity experiments were performed on both whole-rock and single plagioclase samples. Although alterations during the experiment and/or weak remanence degraded the data quality, the flows with the same paleomagnetic direction revealed similar paleointensity estimates, supporting the hypothesis that the eruption of these flows was rapid. More generally, flows from the Lower Kupukuziman Formation seem to record lower paleointensity compared to flows from the overlying Kaipaizileike Formation.