The astronomical calibration of the Givetian (Middle Devonian) timescale (Dinant Synclinorium, Belgium)
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Published:January 01, 2015
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CiteCitation
David De Vleeschouwer, Frédéric Boulvain, Anne-Christine Da Silva, Damien Pas, Corentin Labaye, Philippe Claeys, 2015. "The astronomical calibration of the Givetian (Middle Devonian) timescale (Dinant Synclinorium, Belgium)", Magnetic Susceptibility Application: A Window onto Ancient Environments and Climatic Variations, A. C. Da Silva, M. T. Whalen, J. Hladil, L. Chadimova, D. Chen, S. Spassov, F. Boulvain, X. Devleeschouwer
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Abstract
Recent advances in radiometric dating result in significant improvements in the geological timescale and provide better insight into the timing of various processes and evolutions within the Earth's system. However, no radiometric ages are contained within the Givetian. Consequently, the absolute ages of the Givetian Stage boundaries, as well as the stage's duration, remain poorly constrained. As an alternative, the analysis of sedimentary cycles allows for the estimation of the duration of this stage. We examined the high-resolution magnetic susceptibility signals of four Givetian outcrops in the Givet area for a possible astronomical imprint, to fully understand the rates...
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Contents
Magnetic Susceptibility Application: A Window onto Ancient Environments and Climatic Variations

Magnetic susceptibility (MS) is a tool frequently used by geologists on sediments or rocks to perform correlations and sea-level or climatic reconstructions. Applied measurements are made on unoriented, bulk samples and bulk MS is mostly influenced by the magnetic mineral content of the rock and often interpreted as influenced by detrital inputs. Magnetic data acquisition is fast and straightforward and this allows the high-resolution sampling needed for palaeoclimatic research (e.g. spectral analysis). However, the link with detrital inputs is not always preserved and the impact of diagenesis on the final MS signal can blur primary information. This volume includes contributions dealing with the origin of the magnetic minerals, and the application of MS as a palaeoenvironmental or palaeoclimatic proxy and also as a tool to provide astronomical calibration in order to improve the chronology of selected time intervals.