Remagnetization of the Alamo Breccia, Nevada

Abstract

AbstractThe Devonian Alamo Breccia is a thick (<30–130 m) unit, interpreted as a bolide impact deposit, which is bracketed by marine carbonates. Samples were collected within the breccia and above/below the breccia for a contact test to determine if the breccia acted as a conduit for fluids that could have caused the widespread chemical remanent magnetizations (CRMs) present in Palaeozoic Era rocks in Nevada. The carbonates above, below and in the breccia contain a Cretaceous Period syn-tilting CRM that resides in pyrrhotite and a pre-tilting late Palaeozoic Era CRM that resides in magnetite. The contact test is negative. Despite these results, diagenetic alteration by externally derived fluids is interpreted as the most likely mechanism of remagnetization. This hypothesis is supported by 87Sr/86Sr values in the breccia and surrounding rocks that suggest alteration by fluids with a radiogenic signature. The fluids were not localized in the breccia but are interpreted to have moved pervasively through the rocks. The results differ from some other studies that found that fluids caused localized CRMs around fluid conduits.