Paleomagnetic results from the upper triassic lavas of Massachusetts

The directions of magnetization at five sites in two lava members of the Newark group of Massachusetts have been measured. The directions have fairly consistent northerly declinations, but the inclinations are highly variable. This variation is shown to be due to the presence of a soft magnetic component of variable magnitude approximately parallel to the present earth's field, the effect of which is removed in alternating magnetic fields of 150 oersteds. The magnetization remaining after the removal of this ‘soft’ component has a mean direction (010°,+16°) which is consistent with the paleomagnetic pole position at 55°N, 88°E. This agrees well with other Triassic paleomagnetic pole determinations from the United States.