Magnetization of Upper Mantle

Results from Oman Samail Ophiolite

Abstract

Paleomagnetic results of mantle peridotites from Wadi al Hilti section, Oman Samail Ophiolite indicate that the magnetic layer of the upper mantle is about 2 km from Moho, while the lower portion is much less magnetized. This finding, together with the revised magnetization model for ocean crust and upper mantle, can explain the “missing magnetization of the upper oceanic lithosphere” which has been a long-standing problem brought by MAGSAT magnetic anomalies over the Pacific Cretaceous Quiet Zone.