Palaeomagnetism and opaque petrography of the cretaceous ophiolitic sheeted volcanics at Kapedhes, Cyprus

Abstract EN

A palaeomagnetic study of 231 oriented drill cores collected from 29 sites from the Kapedhes sheeted volcanics in Cyprus (33.3°E, 35.0°N), has shown a high intensity of magnetization (mean value = 5.5 mAnr1), and low MDF (medium destructive field) during the alternating field demagnetization (12 to 15 mT).

The petrographic studies of thin and polished sections have indicated fine grained titanomagnetite crystals in accordance with the rock-magnetic results.

All samples have positive stable direction of magnetization indicating an age during the Cretaceous long positive polarity chron between 83 to 118 Ma.

The main stable direction of magnetization is: D = 301.2°, 1 = 22.2°, n = 29, K = 32.3, = 4.8°yielding a pole position at 294.1°E.

32.0°N.

The individual direction of each site indicates a doming of the volcanic sheet by an angle of 20 to 0°; the axis of doming is in a NE-SW direction.

Rotating of Cyprus clockwise by an angle of 33.3“ around a pole at 36°E, 38°N makes the Cretaceous pole of Cyprus in considence with the African poles for ages between 110 and 120 Ma.