Paleomagnetic Dating of Lava Flows from the Avachinskii Volcano, Kamchatka

Abstract

The paleodirection and paleointensity of the geomagnetic field are determined from seven andesibasalt–basalt samples of three lava flows (L1–L3) from the Avachinskii (Avacha) volcano. Based on the sample from the recent lava flow TFE-50 (Tolbachik Fissure Eruption), the reliability of the Thellier–Coe method for geomagnetic field paleointensity determination is demonstrated: the deviation of the calculated H_an from the IGRF12 values is at most 3% with a quality factor q > 13. The age of lava flows L1–L3 is refined using paleomagnetic data. Flows L1, L2 of the Molodoi Cone were formed in 1827 and 300–600 years ago, respectively, and the age of flow L3 at the crest of the somma is determined at 30–32 ka, which agrees with the known age estimate of the debris avalanche associated with the catastrophic destruction of the Avachinskii volcano 29 900 ± 37 900 ¹⁴C years ago.