MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY SUSCEPTIBILITY HIGH-RESOLUTION CORRELATION, U.S.

AND SINAI PENINSULA, EGYPT

Magnetic Susceptibility Stratigraphic Methodologies

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MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY SUSCEPTIBILITY USED FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION

CORRELATION AMONG SANTONIAN (UPPER CRETACEOUS) MARINE
SEDIMENTARY SEQUENCES IN THE U.S. WESTERN INTERIOR SEAWAY
AND THE WESTERN SINAI PENINSULA, EGYPT
BROOKS B. ELLWOOD
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University,
E235 Howe-Russell-Kniffen Geoscience Complex, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, U.S.A.
e-mail: ellwood@lsu.edu
AZIZ KAFAFY
Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt
AHMED KASSAB
Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71516, Egypt
ABDELAZIZ ABDELDAYEM
Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt
NAGEH OBAIDALLA
Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71516, Egypt
AND

RICHARD W. HOWE AND PAUL SIKORA

Energy & Geoscience Institute, 423 Wakara Way, Suite 300, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108, U.S.A.
ABSTRACT: Magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements of marine rocks provide an underutilized but powerful high-resolution tool in
stratigraphy. In ideal circumstances and when combined with other stratigraphic techniques, the method can yield resolution to 10,000
years or less. This paper applies the MS method to solving a Cretaceous global correlation problem. Because of the active global processes
that drove significant evolutionary changes during this time, the Upper Cretaceous is important in Earth history. However, correlations
among geological sequences are difficult, in part because Earths magnetic polarity was essentially non-varying from the Aptian to the
Santonian. Here we present high-resolution correlations for Upper Cretaceous marine sedimentary successions spanning all or part of the
Santonian Stage from the Western Interior Seaway (U.S.A.) and the Western Sinai Peninsula (Egypt). To do this we have integrated the
results of magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements of unoriented samples from lithified marine rocks (in outcrop and from core) and
biostratigraphic data sets from these sequences. In this study a MS zonation for the Santonian Stage has been developed and graphic
comparison has been used for correlation. In the main, correlation between the U.S. and Egyptian sequences is excellent. Third order T/
R cycles (> 100 kyr) observed in this high-resolution data set for the Santonian Stage indicate significant similarities between the U.S. and
Egyptian sections and allow correlation among sequences. We interpret these correlations to result from cyclicities caused by climatecontrolled continental erosion and deposition of detrital components, mainly clay, in the marine realm. Second-order cycles (> 1 Myr) are
also observed in these data sets but show distinctive differences between the U.S. and Egyptian sequences. We interpret these second-order
differences to result from local synsedimentary tectonic controls on sediment erosion and deposition. Also observed are two distinct, shortterm MS marker events that can be correlated globally.
KEY WORDS: Upper Cretaceous, Santonian, Egypt, Niobrara, global correlation, graphic comparison, magnetic susceptibility

INTRODUCTION
One of the problems facing geologists working on lithified
marine rocks is our difficulty to correlate, with high precision,
among geological sections. This is especially true when global
correlations are desired. Problems faced when using fossils for
high-resolution correlations include facies differences, evolutionary rates, and pseudo-extinctions. Isotopic dates are few,
and the precision is much too coarse to achieve the high resolution that is often desired. While geochemical or geophysical
techniques may be useful for correlation, problems exist with
these techniques as well. For example, if the sequence of interest
is proximal and there is no carbonate, oxygen isotope data from
marine tests are not feasible. In addition, weathering and lowtemperature alteration effects can destroy the primary isotopic

signatures. Finally, many geochemical methods are expensive

and time consuming, negating the large number of data points
that are needed to characterize stratigraphic sequences adequately.
To deal with some of the problems associated with correlations, the geological community has been working to standardize
the geologic time scale (Gradstein et al., 2004). The decision was
made to formally define stage boundaries as the geologic standard and to do this by establishing a Global Boundary Stratotype
Section and Point (GSSP) to define the beginning of each geological stage for the Phanerozoic (Cowie et al., 1986). The end of each
stage is defined by the beginning point of the stage that follows.
Formal rules for the establishment of GSSPs have been adopted
(Salvador, 1994). A compilation of the GSSPs established to date
as well as the supporting data can be found in The Geologic Time

Application of Modern Stratigraphic Techniques: Theory and Case Histories

SEPM Special Publication No. 94, Copyright 2010
SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology), ISBN 978-1-56576-199-5, p. 155166.

156

B. ELLWOOD, A. KAFAFY, A. KASSAB, A. ABDELDAYEM, N. OBAIDALLA, R.W. HOWE AND P. SIKORA

Scale 2004 (Gradstein et al., 2004). The work of the International

Commission on Stratigraphy also includes formal usage of magnetic property measurements in stratigraphy (Salvador, 1994),
including formally defining nomenclature for magnetostratigraphic polarity and susceptibility.
Magnetostratigraphic methods can provide a useful and
important correlation tool in this correlation and standardization effort, and magnetostratigraphy polarity, based on the
remanent magnetization (RM) of rocks, is being routinely used
for correlation in Cenozoic and Mesozoic rocks (Gradstein et al.,
2004). However, polarity stratigraphy is not well developed for
the Paleozoic, in part because many of these rocks have been
remagnetized. In addition, RM methods are time consuming,
expensive, and effectively limited to well consolidated materials that can be oriented, thus excluding cuttings and limiting the
use of highly friable sediments. In conjunction with biostratigraphy, it is possible to get good MS resolution from a wide range
of materials including cuttings, core, and friable outcrop materials. In addition, remagnetization does not deleteriously affect
the MS resolution. This is because the MS, unlike remanence,
does not significantly change even when the rocks are somewhat weathered and/or reheated to moderate temperatures (in
some cases to > 350 C). This is illustrated by the reported MS
correlations among heated sections in Morocco (Ellwood et al.,
1999) that show a conodont alteration index (CAI) of > 4.0
(Belka, 1991). Finally, the method is inexpensive, is fast, and
requires relatively small samples that are easy to collect, allowing large datasets to be gathered effectively.
In this paper we define a Santonian composite section based
on observed MS variations within multiple sections. Our approach is to develop, within a single region, MS data sets to
define the MS characteristics of the ConiacianSantonian and
SantonianCampanian stage boundaries and then to fill in the
rest of the Santonian using redundant overlapping sections.
Finally, we use the MS composite section thus developed, in this
case from the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of the
US, for comparison and correlation to an equivalent Santonian
sequence in the Western Sinai Peninsula region of Egypt. Comparison of the two regions (Fig. 1) shows that they are located in
similar zones that were tectonically active during the Late
Cretaceous.
The study sequences cover, or partially cover, the Santonian
Stage and include the proposed GSSP for the base of the Santonian
Stage, located along Ten Mile Creek in Lancaster County, Texas,
the proposed GSSP for the base of the Campanian Stage, located
in the Lake Waxahachie Spillway near Waxahachie, Texas (Powell,
1970), the USGS#1 Portland Well (Dean and Arthur, 1998), drilled
in Portland, Colorado, and several Niobrara chalk sections (Hattin,
1982) from Kansas (Fig. 1). All of these sequences have fair to good
lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic control, and together with
the MS results it is readily demonstrated that correlation among
these sequences is excellent.

METHODS
Magnetic Susceptibility (MS): General Comments
All mineral grains are susceptible to becoming magnetized in
the presence of a magnetic field, and MS is an indicator of the
strength of this transient magnetism within a material sample
(Nagata, 1961). MS is very different from remanent magnetism
(RM), the intrinsic magnetization that accounts for the magnetic
polarity of materials. In marine sediments, MS is generally considered to be an indicator of iron, ferromagnesian, or clay-mineral
concentration (Ellwood et al., 2000; Ellwood et al., this volume) and

can be measured quickly and easily on small samples. In the very

low inducing magnetic fields that are generally applied, MS is
largely a function of the concentration and composition of the
magnetizable material in a sample. Mathematically, MS is a tensor
of the second rank (see Equation 1 and discussion below), and
therefore it has anisotropy (Nye, 1990). This means that the measured MS in a sample will be different in different directions,
depending upon the mineral distributions and grain morphology.
The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of most rock
types has been well studied (Tarling and Hrouda, 1993). However,
it is somewhat time consuming to measure and requires oriented
samples, as do RM studies. Bulk (initial) measurements of MS are
often performed without consideration of the AMS of samples, and
for most samples the MS error due to the anisotropy is small. The
AMS effect is further reduced when samples are crushed before the
MS is measured, or where friable samples are broken up during
sampling. MS is much less susceptible to remagnetization than is
the RM in rocks and can be measured on small, irregular lithic
fragments and on highly friable material that is difficult to sample
for either AMS or RM measurement.
Magnetizable materials in sediments include not only the
ferrimagnetic minerals such as the iron oxide minerals (e.g.,
magnetite and maghemite) and iron sulfides and iron sulfates
(e.g., pyrrhotite and greigite) that can acquire an RM (required for
reversal magnetostratigraphy), but also any other less magnetic,
paramagnetic compounds. The important paramagnetic minerals in marine sediments include the clays, particularly chlorite,
smectite, and illite, ferromagnesian silicates such as biotite, tourmaline, pyroxene, and amphiboles, iron sulfides including pyrite
and marcasite, iron carbonates such as siderite and ankerite, and
other iron- and magnesium-bearing minerals (Ellwood et al.,
1989; Ellwood et al., 2000).
In addition to the ferrimagnetic and paramagnetic grains in
marine sediments, calcite, quartz, and organic compounds can be
abundant. These materials typically acquire a very weak negative
MS when placed in inducing magnetic fields; that is, their acquired MS is opposed to the low magnetic field that is applied.
The presence of these diamagnetic minerals reduces the MS in a
sample. Therefore factors such as changes in biological productivity or organic-carbon accumulation rates may cause some
variability in MS values.
Low-field MS, as used in most reported studies (Nagata,
1961), is defined as the ratio of the induced moment (Mi or Ji) to
the strength of an applied, very low-intensity magnetic field (Hj),
where:
Ji = ijHj

(mass-specific)

(1)

(volume-specific)

(2)

or
Mi = kijHj

In these expressions, MS in SI units is parameterized as k,

indicating that the measurement is relative to a one-cubic-meter
volume (m3) and therefore is dimensionless; MS parameterized as
indicates measurement relative to a mass of one kilogram, and is
given in units of m3/kg. Both k and have anisotropy. Here, we
report MS without consideration of the AMS, and use MS to
characterize this bulk (initial) low-field magnetic susceptibility.

Presentation of MS Data
For presentation purposes and inter-data-set comparisons, the
bar-log format, similar to that previously established for presentations of magnetic-polarity data, is used. These bar logs are accom-

MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY SUSCEPTIBILITY HIGH-RESOLUTION CORRELATION, U.S. AND SINAI PENINSULA, EGYPT

157

FIG. 1.Middle Santonian Stage (Upper Cretaceous) continental reconstruction map showing locations of sample site from the
Western Interior Seaway, U.S. and Western Sinai, Egypt; C, Portland Core, Colorado; K, Niobrara Chalk localities, Kansas; Texas
proposed GSSP; E, Western Sinai, Egypt. Map modified from Scotese (1998).
panied by both raw and smoothed MS data sets. Here, raw MS data,
depicted by the dashed line in Figure 2, are smoothed using splines,
the resultant curve being displayed as a solid curve in Figure 2.
Splines are used for smoothing to hold each data point at its proper
stratigraphic height. The following bar-log plotting convention is
then used; if the MS smoothed cyclic trends increase or decrease by
a factor of two or more, and if the change is represented by two or
more data points, this change is assumed to be significant and the
highs and lows associated with these cycles are differentiated by
filled (high MS values) or open (low MS values) bar logs (shown at
the right in figures; e.g., Fig. 2). This method is best employed when
high-resolution data sets are being analyzed (large numbers of
closely spaced samples) and helps negate variations associated
with anomalous samples. Such anomalous variations may be due
to weathering effects, secondary alteration and metamorphism,
longer-term trends due to factors such as eustasy (as opposed to
shorter-term climate cycles), or event sequences such as impacts
(Ellwood et al., 2003). In addition, variations in detrital input
between localities, or a change in detrital sediment source, is
resolved by developing and comparing bar logs between different
localities. It is also recommended that MS data be represented in
log plots due to the range of MS values often encountered. However, MS data variations in log plots for some ranges (for example,
13 x 10-x versus 49 x 10-x) may appear to exhibit large variations
that are just artifacts of the presentation style. Therefore, bar logs
help to reduce these ambiguities.

MS Measurements
All measurements reported herein were performed using the
susceptibility bridge at LSU. This bridge was built by Marshall

Williams and is a one-of-a-kind instrument. It is calibrated using

standard salts for which values are reported in the Handbook of
Physics and Chemistry and by Swartzendruber (1992). The LSU
bridge is our standard instrument because it is very sensitive, is
easy and fast to use, and the measurement coil is optimized for
small samples. We report MS in terms of sample mass because it
is much easier and faster to measure with high precision than is
volume (Ellwood et al., 1988b). Each sample is measured three
times and the mean and standard deviation of these measurements is calculated. The mean of these measurements is reported
here. We also performed a number of thermomagnetic susceptibility measurements on selected samples using an AGICO KLY3S instrument.

PREVIOUS WORK
Applications and Interpretations of
Bulk (Initial) Low-Field Magnetic Susceptibility
MS variability from sample to sample results primarily from
changes in the amount of iron, clay, and ferromagnesian constituents. This variability in marine sedimentary sequences is both
primary (produced during deposition) and secondary (resulting
from alteration of the deposited sequence). The primary factors
resulting in variation are weathering, erosion, sediment accumulation rates, and biological productivity. These factors are tied to
climate, tectonic and volcanic processes, availability of nutrients,
and local (relative) or regional (global) sea-level changes. Secondary processes include pedogenesis, diagenesis, and within-sediment redox effects driven by bacterial organisms (Ellwood et al.,
1988a).

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B. ELLWOOD, A. KAFAFY, A. KASSAB, A. ABDELDAYEM, N. OBAIDALLA, R.W. HOWE AND P. SIKORA

8
MS chron
Sa4

7
Sa3

Height (m)

Sa2

Sa1

Santonian
Coniacian

CoZ

2
CoY

1
1.0E-08

1.5E-08

2.0E-08

2.5E-08

Magnetic Susceptibility (m 3/kg)

FIG. 2.MS data from the proposed GSSP located on Ten Mile
Creek in Lancaster, Texas (T in Figure 1), for the Coniacian
Santonian boundary. Raw MS data are dashed; smoothed
data using splines are represented by the solid curve; MS
chrons (with labels) are presented as bar, logs and methods
are explained in text, where filled symbols represent higher
MS values and open symbols are lower MS values; the
ConiacianSantonian boundary location is indicated. MS
chrons beginning with Co are Coniacian in age. MS chrons
beginning with Sa are Santonian in age. MS chron labels were
developed in conjunction with the data sets from Figures 2 to 5.

Studies of Marine Sedimentary Sequences

Marine sediments are composed of terrigenous, detrital, and
eolian components, and a biogenic component composed of the
carbonate and/or siliceous tests of marine organisms (Balsam
and Beeson, 2003). There is also a component of sediment derived
from marine weathering processes, but this is generally minor.
The MS signature of a marine sediment mainly represents contributions from the terrigenous and biogenic components, and,
because the biogenic component is only weakly diamagnetic, in
general the terrigenous component dominates the MS. Therefore,
processes controlling the influx of terrigenous components into
the marine environment usually account for the MS variations
observed in a sample. Thus, climate cycles that cause erosion and
transport of terrigenous material result in a cyclic signal in the MS
recorded in the deposited sediments. There are many factors that
can modify this signature, but while the expected variations may
be reduced in magnitude, usually the character of the cycles
remains and can be extracted. Superimposed on these cyclic
variations are contributions from unique events, such as volcanic

eruptions or meteorite impacts, which may be of local, regional,

or global significance.

Previous Results from Lithified

Marine Sedimentary Rock Sequences
Following deposition, the ferrimagnetic grains that dominate
the magnetic properties in unlithified marine sediments are
rapidly converted to paramagnetic phases, mainly by the action
of bacterial organisms (Karlin and Levi, 1985; Ellwood et al.,
1988b). This process generally causes a decrease in magnetic
properties in lithified samples. In general, however, this process
does not remove the iron from the system, so that total iron
content is conserved. New paramagnetic phases (mainly iron
sulfides and carbonates) then contribute, along with the other
paramagnetic detrital components present such as clays and the
remaining authigenic ferrimagnetic constituents, to the MS in
lithified sediments. MS values for most marine limestone, marlstone, shale, siltstone, and sandstone samples that we have
measured range from ~ 1 x 10-9 to ~ 1 x 10-7 m3/kg (Ellwood et al.,
2000). Shale and some marlstone have the greatest anisotropy,
but for most of these samples is small. For most limestone,
marlstone, siltstone, and sandstone samples the anisotropy is
very small. Shale and marlstone samples are friable, and measurement is generally on small broken fragments, further reducing the anisotropy effect. Therefore, for most samples the error
introduced by the AMS is minimal (see discussions in Tarling and
Hrouda, 1993).

Sea-Level and Climate Cycles and Other MS Variations

As described above, MS in lithified marine sedimentary
sequences mainly records processes that control the influx of
detrital and eolian grains into the marine environment. MS
results for almost all studies of marine sedimentary rocks generally show many levels of cyclicity, with certain cycles interpreted to result from climatically driven processes (Weedon et
al., 1999; Ellwood et al., 2001). Other cycles are very longer-term
and are interpreted as resulting from transgressiveregressive
(T/R) trends due to sea-level rise and fall associated with
eustasy. As a general rule, especially in distal marine sequences,
MS is observed to decrease during transgressive cycles (Ellwood
et al., 2006) due to detrital sediments being trapped in the
nearshore during transgressions. However, there are distinct
MS peaks that are correlated to maximum flooding surfaces
(MFS), as well as to sudden influxes of detrital material into
sedimentary basins by turbidity currents or other sediment suspensions. During regressions, when base level is lowered due to
falling sea level, erosion flushes detrital sediment into ocean
basins and increases the MS of basinal sediments. Thus T/R
cycles play an important role in creating some cyclic MS variations observed.

The Magnetosusceptibility
Event and Cyclostratigraphy (MSEC) Method
To describe the methods used and the broad range of physical
processes that produce MS trends, the term magnetosusceptibility
event and cyclostratigraphy (MSEC) was coined by Crick et al.
(1997). Results of MSEC work have shown that the MS is mineral
dependent but may be independent of the macro-lithology. Reworking of sediments by ocean currents and the variable deposition of clays can result in large MS changes in both limestone and
shale, even though the lithology may appear to be relatively nonvarying. In addition, while local subsidence may cause a litho-

MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY SUSCEPTIBILITY HIGH-RESOLUTION CORRELATION, U.S. AND SINAI PENINSULA, EGYPT

SAMPLING AND RESULTS

Included here are results for Upper Cretaceous Santonian
samples from two localities in Texas, one locality in Colorado,
four localities in Kansas, and one locality in Egypt. In all sections,
the MS data were smoothed using splines and MS chrons were
developed using the rules discussed above (in the section titled
Presentation of MS Data).

ConiacianSantonian GSSP Candidate

at Ten Mile Creek, Lancaster, Texas
The MS of ~ 6 m of section (127 specimens) along Ten Mile
Creek in Lancaster, Texas, was measured (Fig. 2), with samples
being collected at 50 mm intervals. The lithologies in the section
are interbedded limestone (chalk), marlstone, and claystone of
the Austin Chalk Formation. The ConiacianSantonian boundary was picked based on foraminifer and nannofossil events
associated with this boundary (Burnett, 1998).

SantonianCampanian GSSP Candidate

at Waxahachie Lake Spillway, Texas
Approximately 19 m of section (225 specimens) was sampled
at the Waxahachie Lake Spillway and the MS measured (Fig. 3).
The interval associated with the SantonianCampanian boundary was sampled at 50 mm intervals , and the rest of the section
was sampled at approximately 0.1 m intervals. The lithologies
collected are mainly interbedded chalk and marlstone. The chronostratigraphic boundary lies just below the Austin ChalkTaylor
Marl contact , which is unconformable (Powell, 1970; Hancock,
and Gale, 1996). The SantonianCampanian boundary is picked
within the Austin Chalk, based upon the recommended boundary datum (i.e., the last appearance datum of the benthic crinoid
Marsupites testudinarius), as well as foraminifer and nannofossil
events associated with this boundary (Burnett, 1998; Hancock
and Gale, 1996). The Waxahachie section is characterized by
common to abundant recovery of both planktonic and benthonic
foraminifera, and calcareous nannofossils with fair to good preservation. Macrofossil debris, primarily inoceramid prisms and
other mollusk shell fragments, is abundant throughout most of
the section. Foraminifera generally indicate a warm Tethyan
water mass, with middle-neritic to outer-neritic paleobathymetry for most of the section. However, an influx of a cool water
mass and increase in organic flux with consequent decline in
benthic foraminifer diversity marks the upper part of the section.
This paleoecologic change complicates planktonic foraminifer

MS chron

20

Ca2

18

Campanian
Santonian

16

14

Height (m)

logic change from shale to limestone or vice versa, the MS often

remains relatively constant.
Our MSEC studies of Phanerozoic marine rock sequences
have concentrated on GSSPs (as well as other related sections)
that are currently being defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). Today, more than half of the ~ 100
GSSPs for the Phanerozoic have been formally defined. All of
these boundaries are well studied, and much of the biostratigraphy has been published. Most stage boundaries are defined
based on the first occurrence of a new fossil species, while a few
use other criteria. For example, the PaleoceneEocene GSSP in
Upper Egypt near Luxor is defined by a negative carbon isotope
shift in the sequence exposed there and in most other PaleoceneEocene sequences (Dupuis et al., 2003). MSEC results for PaleoceneEocene boundary sections in Egypt (including the GSSP),
Spain, and the U.S. are reported elsewhere in this volume
(Ellwood et al., this volume).

159

Ca1

Sa15

12

Sa14
Sa13

10
Sa12
marker

Sa12

6
Sa11

Sa10
Marker Event

Sa10
Sa9

Sa8
Sa7

0
1.0E-08

1.5E-08

2.0E-08

2.5E-08

3.0E-08

Magnetic Susceptibility (m 3/kg)

FIG. 3.MS data from the proposed GSSP located at Waxahachie,
Texas (T in Figure 1), for the SantonianCampanian boundary. Symbols and notations as in Figure 2. MS chrons beginning with Ca are Campanian in age. There are two distinct
marker events in the data set, Sa 10 and Sa12, which can be
correlated among all overlapping sections.
biostratigraphy in that the stratigraphic range of some Tethyan
taxa are truncated; e.g., the last stratigraphic datum (LAD) of
Dicarinella asymmetrica occurs relatively low in the section and the
first occurrence datum (FAD) of the Campanian genus
Globotruncanita is delayed until the base of the Taylor Shale,
above a major unconformity marked by a phosphatic lag deposit.

Coniacian to Middle Santonian

USGS#1 Well at Portland, Colorado
Fifty meters of the USGS#1 Portland Core was sampled (N =
204) and the MS measured (Fig. 4). Sampling interval was ~ 0.25
m. The core covers the interval from the ConiacianSantonian
boundary to the Middle Santonian (Dean and Arthur, 1998). The
precise boundary location had some biostratigraphic uncertainty,
so we used the MS signature from the Ten Mile Creek proposed
GSSP (Fig. 2) to place the boundary in the Portland section.

Coniacian to Campanian
Composite Niobrara Sequence from Kansas
MS data are reported (Fig. 5) from a composite of several wellstudied localities (Hattin, 1982) of Niobrara Chalk in Kansas (K in

160

MS chron

155

MS chron

25

150

Sa14

30

Ca2

Campanian

Loc. 20

B. ELLWOOD, A. KAFAFY, A. KASSAB, A. ABDELDAYEM, N. OBAIDALLA, R.W. HOWE AND P. SIKORA

Ca1

Santonian

Sa15

45
50

60

tra

Sa8
Sa7
Sa6

Sa5

ns

gre

ss

Sa4

ive

Santonian
Coniacian

Sa2

Sa3

Sa1

135
Sa11

130
Sa10
marker

125
regres

115

110

1.0E-08

FIG. 4.MS data from the USGS#1 Portland Core, drilled in

Portland, Colorado (C in Figure 1), covering the Coniacian
into the middle Santonian. Symbols and notations as in Figure
2. Also given is the lithologic nomenclature for the core;
Lower Shale, Middle Chalk, and M. Shale are lower units
within the Smokey Hill Chalk of the Niobrara Formation
(Dean and Arthur, 1998). Note the Sa 10 and Sa12 marker
events that are also identified in the Niobrara and Sinai
Peninsula data sets. Arrows indicate T/R cyclicities (see text).
Figure 1). Sampling covered the interval from the Coniacian to
the Campanian (N = 494) at a sampling interval of 0.1 m. Sampled
sections are from Hattins Localities 13, 19, 18, 23, and 20 and
cover the entire Santonian Stage. The ConiacianSantonian and
SantonianCampanian boundaries were picked on the basis of
foraminifera and dinoflagellates (McIntire, personal communication) and adjusted by comparison to the MS boundary data
from the proposed Texas GSSPs (Figs. 2, 3) and with the USGS#1
Portland Core (Fig. 4).

Coniacian to Campanian Sequence

in the Western Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
MS data from measurements of mainly limestone and shale
samples (N = 279; sampling interval was ~ 0.1 m) from 28 m of
section collected in Wadi Sudr, located in the western Sinai
Peninsula, Egypt, are reported. The Coniacian and Santonian
sequences in the Sinai Peninsula have been well studied and
include the biostratigraphic record of calcareous nannofossils
(Bauer et al., 2001). Integrated micro-biostratigraphy and macrobiostratigraphy of the ConiacianSantonian sequence of the southwestern Sinai Peninsula, in particular, are from the work of
Kassab and Ismael (1996) and Obaidalla and Kassab (2002). Here
we use ammonites and planktonic foraminifera to constrain the

Sa9
Sa8

Sa7
Sa5

tra

Sa4

ns

gr

es

siv

Sa3
Sa2

Sa1
CoZ

Coniacian

CoY

105

Magnetic Susceptibility (m 3/kg)

Sa10

Sa6

Santonian

CoX

70

sive

120

CoZ
CoY

65

Sa12

Loc. 23

Sa11
Sa10
Sa9

Sa12
marker

Loc. 18

Sa10 marker event

Sa13

140

Comp. Height (m)

Height (m)

40

Smoky Hill Chalk

Sa12 marker event

Sa14

1.0E-08

Magnetic Susceptibility (m3/kg)

Loc. 19

Sa12

stable

35

55

145

Sa13

FIG. 5.MS data from a composite of several well-studied localities (Hattin, 1982) of Niobrara Chalk from Kansas (K in Figure
1). From the Coniacian to the Campanian these sections are
from Hattins Locations 13, 19, 18, 23, and 20, respectively, and
cover the entire Santonian Stage. The ConiacianSantonian
and SantonianCampanian boundaries are represented by
bold dashed lines, and were picked on the basis of foraminifera and dinoflagellate (McIntire, personal communication)
data and adjusted by comparison to the MS boundary data
from the USGS#1 Portland Core (Fig. 4) and to the proposed
Texas GSSPs (Figs. 2, 3; see text for a discussion). Symbols and
notations as in Figure 2. Note the Sa 10 and Sa12 marker
events. Arrows indicate T/R cyclicities (see text).
ConiacianSantonian and SantonianCampanian boundary locations, with slight adjustments based on the MS data from the
U.S. Western Interior Seaway sections.

Thermomagnetic Measurements
Thermomagnetic susceptibility measurements were performed on a number of samples from the sampled sequences,
including shale and chalk samples. This measurement involves
heating the sample from room temperature to 700 C while
measuring the MS as the temperature rises. Paramagnetic minerals show a parabola-shaped MS decay during this process because the MS in these samples is inversely proportional to temperature of measurement (Hrouda, 1994). Based on the standards
we have measured, ferrimagnetic minerals usually show an
increase in MS up to a point where the MS decays toward the
Curie temperature of the minerals responsible for the MS. For
magnetite this temperature is ~ 580 C, and for maghemite it is ~
610 C for most samples. Above 640 C, maghemite converts to
hematite with a Curie point of ~ 680 C. During measurement,

MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY SUSCEPTIBILITY HIGH-RESOLUTION CORRELATION, U.S. AND SINAI PENINSULA, EGYPT

some iron minerals are unstable at higher temperatures and

change chemically, often producing diagnostic peaks that result
from the formation of a ferrimagnetic phase during this change.
This is an important result because these minerals usually
denote a detrital or early diagenetic component (e.g., siderite)
that is derived from alteration of ferrimagnetic phases during
diagenesis.
Results of some of our thermomagnetic work are reported in
Figure 6. In samples with the lowest MS values, a weak ferrimagnetic component dominates the MS, although a paramagnetic
component is also significant. In most of the shale samples the
paramagnetic component dominates, indicating a detrital component. In all of the samples there is a conversion at higher tempera-

161

tures of iron phases to ferrimagnetic iron phases. At temperatures

beginning around 250 C there is a MS thermal conversion that,
based on our work with standards, we attribute to the alteration of
goethite, produced during weathering, to a more magnetic but
unstable ferrimagnetic phase. The most distinctive change is the
production of magnetite and maghemite from paramagnetic siderite, known to occur in the Austin Chalk (Ellwood et al., 1986;
Ellwood et al., 1988a) but also seen in the Sinai Peninsula chalk, and
from paramagnetic clay minerals. Weathered chalk samples usually do not exhibit the distinctive siderite peak (Ellwood et al., 1986;
Ellwood et al., 1989), indicating that the siderite has already been
oxidized and the maghemite produced as a result is responsible for
the tan discoloration of these samples.

FIG. 6.Data on thermomagnetic susceptibility for chalk and shale samples from the Sinai Peninsula, Austin Chalk, Niobrara, and
Portland core localities. These data are typical for marine chalk and shale samples and indicate a paramagnetic component
responsible for the low-field MS reported in the shales, and a slight dominance of a ferrimagnetic component in the chalks. The
chalks are slightly weathered, and the oxidation of paramagnetic constituents like siderite may be responsible for the
ferrimagnetic dominance in these very low-MS samples. The peaks observed at 300350 C result from the breakdown of goethite
in slightly weathered samples; at higher temperatures > 400 C are mainly due to the breakdown of paramagnetic carbonates and
clays to a ferrimagnetic phase (magnetite and maghemite).

162

B. ELLWOOD, A. KAFAFY, A. KASSAB, A. ABDELDAYEM, N. OBAIDALLA, R.W. HOWE AND P. SIKORA

DISCUSSION

Ca2
bsh

26
24
22

Campanian
Santonian
re

Ca1
sh

n
io
ss

gr

20

Sa15

mrl

Sa14

18

Height (m)

In most studies of marine rocks where stratigraphic correlation is attempted, there are many uncertainties. The most important data set used is developed from biostratigraphic studies
that can provide ambiguous results. Problems due to factors
such as facies-dependent organisms, poor recovery, unrecognized unconformities, and Lazarus taxa make it important to
employ independent correlation methods in an effort to resolve
uncertainties. MSEC is one such method that provides a robust
data set to evaluate and adjust correlations among geological
sequences independently. It requires fair to good biostratigraphic control to initially develop a chronostratigraphic framework where distinctive MS zones can be directly correlated
among sections with high precision, even when biostratigraphic
uncertainties or slight unconformities are known to exist within
sections.
An important aspect of the MSEC approach is to define a MS
composite reference section (MS CRS). Specifically, first we collect samples and measure the MS, in this case from the proposed
GSSPs covering the ConiacianSantonian boundary (Ten Mile
Creek section; Fig. 2) and the SantonianCampanian boundary
(Waxahachie Spillway section; Fig. 3). Results from these Austin
Chalk sections showed low variability and similar overall MS
magnitudes. However, the smoothed data do show definable MS
highs and lows from which we have built an MS chron zonation.
From the Ten Mile Creek sequence (Fig. 2), we have identified MS
chrons within the latest Coniacian that we have labeled CoX to
CoZ. The boundary is placed at the top of CoZ, the last Coniacian
MS chron. Within the Santonian we have identified MS chrons
Sa1 to Sa3, with Sa4 not fully defined.
The GSSP at the Waxahachie Spillway also exhibits distinctive
MS chrons for the Upper Santonian that we have labeled Sa7 to
Sa15 (Fig. 3). We place the boundary level within an MS chron that
extends into the Campanian, so given that this MS chron is also
the first chron within the Campanian and defines the base of the
Campanian, we have labeled it Ca1. We also see Ca2 in this data
set. The dashed line representing the boundary level indicates
that there is some biostratigraphic uncertainty, but by comparison to the Niobrara sequences that we have also sampled (Fig. 5)
we believe that placement of the boundary at the level chosen is
justified. Note that there are two distinctive marker events in the
Waxahachie sequence that correspond to MS chron Sa10 and
Sa12. These events are also seen in the Colorado core (Fig. 4), the
Niobrara sequence (Fig. 5), and the Sinai Peninsula sequence (Fig.
7), indicating that the event is global in character. We believe that
the two distinctive Upper Santonian marker events result from a
combination of synsedimentary tectonism and eustatic effects,
and may be associated with the onset of the faunal extinctions
known to occur in the Late Santonian (Barnes et al., 1996; Silva
and Sliter, 1999).
Following characterization of the bounding GSSPs, we chose
the Niobrara Chalk exposures (Fig. 5) to fill in the rest of the
Santonian and to test placement of the boundary levels. MS
chrons are consistent among these three sections, as are the
marker events. An additional test is provided by the Portland,
Colorado, USGS#1 Core data set (Fig. 4). Here, there is a reasonably well-defined ConiacianSantonian boundary interval (Burns
and Bralower, 1998) that is based on nannofossil assemblages,
and the MS chron zonation is consistent with that observed for the
Ten Mile Creek GSSP (Fig. 2) and the Niobrara sequence (Fig. 5).
The Sa10 and Sa12 marker events are well defined in the Portland
Core.
The last data set we present is that for the Santonian Wadi
Sudr sequence, which we sampled in the western Sinai Peninsula,

MS chron

28

ls
sh
ls
sh

Sa13

16

Sa12 marker event

Sa10 marker event

14

Sa12
Sa11
Sa10
Sa9

12

8
tra

6
4
2

ls

Sa8

10

ns

gre

ssi

Sa7
Sa6
Sa5
Sa4
Sa3

ve

calc/ss

Sa2

Santonian

ls

Sa1

Coniacian

0
1.0E-08

mrl

CoZ

1.0E-07

Lith

Magnetic Susceptibility (m 3/kg)

FIG. 7.MS data from the Wadi Sudr section in the western Sinai
Peninsula, Egypt (E in Figure 1), covering the entire Santonian
stage. Symbols and notations as in Figure 2. The Coniacian
Santonian and SantonianCampanian boundaries are represented by dashed lines and identified based on foraminifer
biostratigraphy and adjusted based on the MSEC zonation
from the proposed GSSPs (Figs. 2, 3). Note the Sa 10 and Sa12
marker events. Also given is the lithology for the section: mrl
= marl; ls = limestone; cal/ss = calc-sandstone; sh = shale; bsh
= black shale. Arrows indicate T/R cyclicities (see text).
Egypt (Fig. 7). The boundary intervals are defined mainly using
foraminifer and ammonite biostratigraphy, and these were then
adjusted slightly to conform to the MS chron positions defined for
the U.S. Western Interior sections. Note that both marker events
Sa10 and Sa12 are identified in the Sinai Peninsula data set.

Correlation Among Sections Using MS Graphic Comparison

The graphic correlation method, as initially introduced by
Shaw (1964), involves graphical comparison between a hypothetical composite section built from a standard reference section
(CRS) as a starting point, and a time-equivalent section. Fossil
taxa common to both sections are plotted as points on the graph.
A line of correlation (LOC) is placed by visual inspection of graph
data-point arrays and is drawn to separate distributions of first
(FA) and last (LA) appearances of taxa. The LOC is positioned to
maintain an economy of fit. That is, the LOC acts to separate a
maximum number of taxa FAs and LAs. Graphic correlation is
designed so that, based on projection through the LOC, the first
and last appearances of fossil taxa can be extended into the CRS
(Edwards, 1982).
Here, rather than using biostratigraphic FAs and LAs, we
substitute the beginning and ending of MS chrons from our data
sets, respectively. The CRS thus developed serves as an MS

163

MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY SUSCEPTIBILITY HIGH-RESOLUTION CORRELATION, U.S. AND SINAI PENINSULA, EGYPT

Portland #1 USGS Core

Sa4
Sa2

55

Sa3

Sa1

60

CoZ
CoY

65

Coniacian

CoX

70

12

20

16

Ca1

Ca2

Sa15

Sa14

Sa13

Sa12

Sa9

Sa10

Sa11

Sa7

MS chron

32 CSUs

28

24

U.S. Western Interior Seaway Composite

FIG. 9.Graphic correlation of the Portland USGS#1 core (Fig. 4)

against the U.S. Western Interior Seaway Composite Section
(MS CS) developed in Figure 8. Axes are labeled with the MS
chron logs and notation. The USGS#1 core heights are given,
and the MS CS units are arbitrary (CSUs) and tied to the
spacing from the two GSSPs used in Figure 8. Note that the
Portland core ends somewhere in chron Sa 14 and does not
reach the SantonianCampanian boundary. Filled squares
represent correlation points of corresponding chron boundaries between the core and the MS CS. Solid line is the line of
correlation (LOC) fit to the data. Angle: LOC 1 38.

LO

140

Sa12

135
Sa11

130
Sa10
Sa9
Sa8

125

Sa7
Sa6
Sa5

120

Sa3
Sa2

115

LO

Sa1
CoZ

Santonian

Sa4

Campanian

Niobrara Composite

C
LO

50

Sa5

Santonian

Sa6

Campanian

45

Sa7

Sa8

Sa8

40

Sa6

Sa10
Sa9

Sa5

Sa13

145

Sa11

Sa4

Sa14

35

Sa12

Sa1

Santonian

Sa15

Sa13

30

Sa3

Campanian

150
Ca1

Sa14

Sa2

(m)
155

Ca2

Santonian

MS chron

CoZ

MS chron

Campanian
25

CoY

standard, which acts as a starting point for approximate

chronologic correlations and for building a magnetosusceptibility
composite section (MS CRS). To do this for the Santonian Stage,
we started by graphically comparing the Niobrara Chalk composite (Fig. 5) against the two proposed Texas GSSPs (Figs. 2, 3).
These are then compared in Figure 8 by plotting MS chron bases
and tops from the two sections and fitting LOC segments through
the data. The gap in MS chrons between the Ten Mile Creek and
Waxahachie Spillway sections, between Sa4 and Sa7, is filled by
projecting the bases and tops from these chrons from the Niobrara
sequence (Fig. 5), through the LOC and into the CRS. This then
becomes the U.S. Western Interior Seaway Composite MS CRS.
Sediment accumulation rates and changes in rates between sections can be interpreted from LOC segments; this is discussed
further in a section below. In Figure 8, LOC segments 1 and 2 are
oriented at ~ 45, with an offset caused by rapid sedimentation
within Sa11 in the Niobrara Composite. Thickness of the
Santonian interval of the Niobrara sedimentary sequence is ~ 40
m, whereas the Austin chalk represented by the two GSSPs is ~
20 m thick, approximately half that of the Niobrara sequence.
Therefore, both LOCs in Figure 8 indicate a more or less steady
accumulation rate in the Niobrara and Western Interior composites, with Niobrara sediments accumulating twice as fast as
are Austin Chalk sediments. The exception is the Sa11 interval
in the Niobrara sequence, which appears to have accumulated

110

CoY

105

Coniacian
4

12

20

16

32 CSUs

28

24

MS chron

Ca1

Ca2

Sa15

Sa14

Sa13

Sa12

Sa10

Sa11

Sa7

Sa9

Sa8

Sa6

Sa5

Sa4

Sa3

Sa1

Sa2

CoZ

CoY

Ten Mile GSSP

Waxahachie GSSP
U.S. Western Interior Seaway Composite

FIG. 8: Graphic correlation of the Niobrara Composite (Fig. 5)

against the two proposed Texas GSSPs, Ten Mile Creek (Fig.
2) and Waxahachie Spillway (Fig. 3). To complete the composite labeled as the U.S. Western Interior Seaway Composite
(MS CS), MS chrons Sa5 and Sa6 were projected from the
Niobrara Composite through the Line of Correlation (LOC)
into the x axis. Axes are labeled with the MS chron logs and
notation. Niobrara Composite height in meters; the CS units
are arbitrary (CSUs) and tied to the spacing from the two
GSSPs used in Figures 2 and 3. Filled squares represent
correlation points of corresponding chron boundaries between the two sections. Solid line is the LOC segments fit to the
data. Open squares represent the projection points on the LOC
of MS chrons Sa5 and Sa6. Angles: LOC 1 45; LOC 2 45.

four times faster in the Niobrara Chalk than in the Austin Chalk
of equivalent age.
Following this construction of the MS CRS, we test the quality
of the data by comparing the MS chrons from the Portland
USGS#1 Core from Colorado against the MS CRS (Fig. 9). There
is a striking similarity between the two data sets, resulting in a
single LOC segment fit to the plotted MS bases and tops. The
slight variations observed among data points are the result of
small differences in sedimentation rate within and between individual MS chrons. The effect of smoothing the data creates a
robust data set that is resistant to small variations in accumulation rate or unconformities and allows correlations in spite of
these problems.
An offset in LOC segments is observed when the Niobrara
and Texas sequences are compared, appearing in MS chron Sa11
(Fig. 8). However, there is no corresponding offset when compared with the Portland, Colorado, site (Fig. 9). Given the similarity between the Texas and Colorado data sets, this suggests that
the change is restricted to the Kansas data set during deposition
of the Niobrara sequences. We conclude that this increase in rate
was either the result of an erosional pulse from the east, which is
unlikely because the area was tectonically stable, or was due to
increased productivity during that time at the site, thus locally
thickening MS chron Sa11.
The final step in this process was to compare the U.S. Western
Interior Seaway MS CRS with the section collected at Wadi Sudr
in the western Sinai Peninsula, Egypt (Fig. 7). The results are
strikingly similar to those results observed in Figure 8. Two welldefined LOC segments are separated by an offset representing a
period of relatively high sediment accumulation rate in the Sinai
Wadi Sudr section (Fig. 10). LOC segments 1 and 2 indicate
similar sedimentation rates between the U.S. Western Interior

164

B. ELLWOOD, A. KAFAFY, A. KASSAB, A. ABDELDAYEM, N. OBAIDALLA, R.W. HOWE AND P. SIKORA

Sinai Peninsula
MS chron
Ca2

28
26

Ca1

24
22

Sa15
Sa14
Sa13
Sa12
Sa11
Sa10

Campanian
Santonian

20

C
LO

18
16

14

Sa9

Sa2

10
8

C
LO

Campanian

Sa7
Sa6
Sa5
Sa4
Sa3

Santonian

12
Sa8

Sa1

CoZ

Coniacian

12

20

16

28

24

Ca1

Ca2

Sa15

Sa14

Sa13

Sa12

Sa10

Sa11

Sa7

Sa9

Sa8

Sa6

Sa5

Sa4

Sa1

Sa3

Sa2

CoZ

CoY

MS chron

32 CSUs

U.S. Western Interior Seaway Composite

FIG. 10.Graphic correlation of the western Sinai Peninsula,

Egypt section (Fig. 6) against the U.S. Western Interior Seaway
Composite (MS CS) developed from Fig. 8 (see text). Sinai axis
is labeled with height in section (m) as well as with the MS
chron logs and notation. The MS CS units are arbitrary (CSUs)
and tied to the spacing from the two GSSPs used in Fig. 8.
Filled squares represent correlation points of corresponding
chron boundaries between the two sections. Solid line is the
line of correlation (LOC) fit to the data. Angles: LOC 1 40;
LOC 2 40.
Seaway and the Sinai Peninsula during the Early and Late
Santonian. In addition, both areas appear to have experienced
transgressive events during the Early Santonian, as interpreted
from falling MS values (transgression arrows in Figs. 4, 5, and 6).
However, following MS chron Sa11, while the Sinai Peninsula
experienced regression (Fig. 7), the U.S. Interior Seaways seems
to have been relatively stable, with only climate cycles driving MS
changes (Figs. 4, 5).

Interpretations of the MS data

In very general terms, the MS magnitudes are similar in all the
sections collected, and with a couple of exceptions most of the
sample sets show only slight variations within sections. We
interpret this to mean that factors causing many of the MS
variations that are present in these data sets are relatively subtle.
The Austin Chalk sections in Ten Mile Creek and in the Waxahachie
Spillway in Texas show an MS character that is very uniform,
with only subtle cyclicity that might be interpreted from the data
(Figs. 2, 3). There is a suggestion that a very slight regressive event
can be identified in the Ten Mile Creek data set, culminating in the
Sa4 MS chron. A similar sea-level rise can be inferred for the base
of the Waxahachie sequence, culminating in marker event Sa10.
As one moves toward detrital sources and farther into the U.S.
Western Interior Seaway, as represented by the location of the
USGS#1 Core from Portland, Colorado, near the active tectonic
province to the west (Dean and Arthur, 1998), the changes are
more pronounced (Fig. 4). MS values in the Upper Coniacian are

similar to those from the proposed GSSPs in Texas, but during MS

chron Sa2 a distinctive transgressive event develops that ends
within MS chron Sa7, having the lowest MS values in the sequence. The Sa8 chron represents a recovery associated with a
slight regressive event, followed by a zone of relatively stable
cyclicity that contains important marker events Sa10 and Sa12.
During Sa13, MS values increase slightly and then become essentially non-varying within MS chron Sa14.
The Niobrara Chalk sequence (Fig. 5) exhibits an MS character very similar to that of the USGS#1 Core data set, beginning
with a transgressive event in the Lower Santonian and a regressive recovery to marker Sa10 after which there is relatively stable
cyclicity. Again, MS values in the Upper Coniacian are similar to
those observed in the proposed Texas GSSPs. The magnitude of
the transgressive event culminating in Sa7 is similar to that
observed in the USGS#1 Core.
Examination of the Sinai Peninsula MS data set (Fig. 7) shows
some striking similarities to the Niobrara Chalk sequence as well
as some pronounced differences. It is the similarities that allow
correlation between the U.S. Western Interior Seaway sections
and the Sinai Peninsula and result in the MS chron character
exhibited. We believe that this is due to two factors: erosional
cyclicity driven by climate, and discrete erosional events that
were caused by local, Late Cretaceous tectonic processes, which
were very different between the western U.S. and eastern Egypt.
The end result is that while there is clear MS similarity in the
Lower Santonian, where MS values fall in both areas (globally),
this is followed by relative stability in the U.S. Western Interior
Seaway but by a significant regressive event in the Sinai Peninsula region during the MiddleLate Santonian. This regressive
event results in a lithologic change in Wadi Sudr from limestones
to shales, and the highest MS values we have observed in Santonian
samples. This change in the Sinai Peninsula, when contrasted
against the U.S. Western Interior Seaway (Fig. 10), produces an
offset in the LOCs shown that starts with a high sedimentation
rate pulse beginning in MS chron Sa8. This pulse ends with Sa10
and is followed by a slow but steady regressive event for the end
of the Santonian Stage in Egypt.

Relative Sediment Accumulation Rates

from Line of Correlation (LOC) Segments
In all three correlation comparisons presented here (Figs. 8, 9,
and 10), the main sedimentation rate is similar among sequences.
There are two main LOC segments in Figure 8 (LOC 1 and LOC
2), both oriented at ~ 45 on the graph, indicating that deposition
during these intervals was essentially constant within the Niobrara
and the U.S. Western Interior composites. Between these two line
segments is a brief offset that occurs during MS chron Sa11 and
represents either a rapid increase in sediment accumulation at
that time in the Niobrara Chalk sequence (Fig. 4) relative to the
Waxahachie Spillway section (Fig. 3) or a slight unconformity in
the Waxahachie data set. Sediment accumulation rate then returns to a constant value (represented by LOC 2 in Figure 8). The
Portland Core data set (Fig. 5) yields a straight-line correlation
between the sequences presented (LOC 1 in Figure 9), indicating
that the change in sediment accumulation rate that is observed in
MS chron Sa11 in the Niobrara Composite is not present in the
Portland Core, or that there is a slight unconformity in both the
Waxahachie and Portland Core sections at the same level.
Comparison between the U.S. Western Interior Seaway Composite (MS CRS) and the Western Sinai Peninsula section, Egypt,
yields a surprising result (Fig. 10). There are two LOC segments,
each of which show similar values (~ 40). In addition, there is an
offset in Figure 10 between LOC segments that is similar in

MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY SUSCEPTIBILITY HIGH-RESOLUTION CORRELATION, U.S. AND SINAI PENINSULA, EGYPT

magnitude to that observed when contrasting the Niobrara and

U.S. Western Interior Seaway Composite (Fig. 8), but different in
time. The Sinai Peninsula offset begins with high accumulation
rates in MS chron Sa8, relative to the MS CRS, and ends in MS
chron Sa10 (Fig. 10). Then, during Sa11, an offset occurs in the
Niobrara composite. Both offsets are produced by higher sediment
accumulation rates in the respective Niobrara (chalk) and Sinai
Peninsula (limestone) sections. While the high accumulation rate
in Sa 11 is assumed to have resulted from a high-productivity
spurt, it is observed only within Sa11. However, the Sinai Peninsula jump appears to have lasted three times longer, from Sa8
until Sa10, although in part this may be an artifact of condensation of chron Sa9 in the U.S. Western Interior Seaway composite.
Given that Sa8 in the Sinai Peninsula is recorded in an expanded
limestone sequence, we interpret the jump between LOC 1 and 2
to reflect an increased in local productivity at that time.

CONCLUSIONS
Magnetic susceptibility (MS) data sets from three geological
sections collected from the U.S. Western Interior Seaway have
been used to establish a composite magnetostratigraphy susceptibility MS chron zonation (an MS CRS) for the Upper Cretaceous
Santonian Stage. These sections include a composite of the
Niobrara Chalk in Kansas covering the entire Santonian Stage,
and the proposed GSSPs in Texas that bound the Santonian Stage.
A regional test of the correlation power of the method was
provided by comparison to an independent sequence, the USGS#1
Core from Portland, Colorado, also from the U.S. Western Interior Seaway. The correspondence was excellent when the MS
chron zonation is compared between sections (Figs. 8, 9). The MS
CRS was then compared to an equivalent section collected in the
western Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, at Wadi Sudr, and again the
correspondence was excellent (Fig. 10). Evaluation and interpretation of the MS data from these sequences indicates that there
was a eustatic sea-level rise in the Early Santonian represented in
the Kansas, Colorado, and Egyptian sections sampled. However,
during the Mid-Late Santonian in the U.S. Western Interior
Sections, the MS shows relatively stable cyclicity, while in Egypt
there was a regression event lasting into the Campanian. This
difference is attributed to local synsedimentary tectonic uplift in
Egypt during the Middle to Late Santonian, with relative tectonic
stability during the same interval in the U.S.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project was funded in part by a U.S. National Science
FoundationEgypt Joint Science and Technology Board grant to
BBE and AMK, grant #OTH6-008-002. Paleontological analysis of
the Waxahachie section, as well as sampling of the Niobrara
outcrops in Kansas, were funded by a grant from BP Americas,
Inc. to PJS. Sue Ellwood and Stephen Benoist are gratefully
acknowledged for their help in sampling a number of these
sections.

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