Magnetic polarity stratigraphy of the Siwalik sequence in Nurpur area, NW Himalaya, India

Magnetic polarity stratigraphy studies were carried out on Jabbar Khad section of Nurpur area, Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, India. Oriented block samples were collected at 202 sites with 3–5 samples per site from a 2350-m thick continuous sedimentary sequence consisting of sandstone–mudstone alternating beds. Specimens were subjected to thermal demagnetization (100–700 ∘ C) after measuring their natural remanent magnetization (NRM). Palaeolatitudes of virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) from each site were calculated from the acquired characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) directions. The observed remanence carrier could be haematite. Magnetic polarity scale (MPS) was erected. This MPS is correlated with the standard geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS) of Lourens et al . ( 2004 ). The MPS readily matched from chron C2An.1n to chron C4n.2n, therefore assigning an age 8.20–2.60 Ma to the middle and upper Siwalik sections at Nurpur. The rate of sedimentation in middle Siwalik is 29 mm/yr and upper Siwalik is 59 mm/yr.