Rock magnetism of greigite bearing sediments from the Dead Sea, Israel

SUMMARY Detailed magnetostratigraphic investigations were carried out on five sediment cores obtained from three sites on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, Israel. The sediments are heterogeneous, composed of fine clastic layers alternating with authigenic aragonite. The magnetic remanence is carried by Ti-magnetite and greigite, reflecting a detrital as well as an authigenic phase. Directions of the characteristic remanent magnetization were obtained from stepwise AF-demagnetization of the natural remanent magnetization and subsequent principle component analysis. The acquisition of a gyroremanent magnetization in a noticeable amount of the samples could be linked to core disturbances. The depth–age models, based on AMS 14C datings on plant remains, yielded an age of 10.04 ka cal. BP for the base of the longest profile from site Ein Gedi, a continuous lacustrine sediment sequence. The profiles from the two other sites representing near shore sedimentation are interrupted by a hiatus in sedimentation. Comparison of the inclination and declination records from all Dead Sea cores and nearby sited lakes suggest that low frequency variations documented in the Dead Sea sediments are likely of geomagnetic origin.