M-anomaly Analyses and its implications for the architecture of the upper oceanic crust

My dissertation research consists of two themes: (a) the analysis of Middle Jurassic - Early Cretaceous marine magnetic anomalies (M-anomalies) in order to construct a comprehensive geomagnetic polarity timescale and (b) the investigation of the upper oceanic crustal architecture using downhole geophysical logs. These themes were chosen to better understand how remotely-sensed geophysical signals elucidate the formation and evolution of oceanic crust. This revised Pacific-wide MGPTS model shows significant improvement in its reliability, exhibits global applicability, and highlights changes in the paleo-Pacific spreading regime. By integrating Atlantic Manomaly analyses with the new MGPTS model and reviewing previous seismic studies, we shed new light on the causes of a ubiquitously distributed ?Atlantic anomaly smooth zone? where little coherency among M5-M15 anomaly sequence is observed. For the second theme, I analyzed the architecture of 15 m.y. old superfast spreading East Pacific Rise crust drilled at Ocean Drilling Program Hole 1256D in the eastern Pacific. An intact upper oceanic crustal section was penetrated at this site to a depth of 1507 mbsf. In situ crustal architecture was mapped from resistivity imagery (electrofacies by Formation MicroScanner) combined with recovered cores and other logs. Highlights of this research are: (1) most of the extrusive section consists of massive flows and fragmented formations including breccias, which has important implications for the magnetic source layer and pathways of hydrothermal alteration; (2) the dike complex is composed of sheeted-dikes dipping away from the paleo-spreading axis consistent with submersible observations at other sites in the eastern Pacific; (3) the crustal construction processess from ridge axis to abyssal plain during 0-50 kyr time are consistent with previous seismic reflection studies based on the integration of our stratigraphy model with lava flow observations from the southern East Pacific Rise.