Magnetostratigraphy and rock magnetic studies on the Cretaceous‐Paleogene transition strata along the Um Sohryngkew River, Therriaghat, Meghalaya, India

Abstract

A combination of magnetic polarity and rock magnetic analysis on the well‐documented section of the Um Sohryngkew River (USR) in the south Shillong Plateau, NE India, produced a sharp reversal marking the C29r‐C29n geomagnetic polarity transition at approximately 65.688 Ma. The rock magnetic studies indicate ferrimagnetic dominant mineralogy with abundance of SSD grains, with an anomalous peak in susceptibility coinciding with Ir‐rich limonitic layer. The magnetic reversal occurs precisely 61 m above the Ir‐rich distinct in situ limonitic layer, indicating that the C29r‐C29n geomagnetic reversal post‐dates the widely accepted Ir‐anomaly based K‐Pg boundary by approximately 355 Ka. Furthermore, the rock magnetic studies indicate its frequency dependence coinciding with the Ir‐rich limonitic layer suggesting a possible dust/aerosol source, while akaganéite is reported from the interval approximately 1 m below peak susceptibility, indicating signature of Deccan volcanism. This study infers the completeness of the USR section with a high rate of sedimentation of approximately 17 cm/ka among the marine K‐Pg boundary sections in the world.