The fold test in paleomagnetism as a parameter estimation problem

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Most proposed fold test formulations use significance tests to try pre‐tilting and post‐tilting remanence hypotheses. We suggest that it is better to consider the fold test as a parameter estimation problem. Making the usual assumption that the distribution of remanence vectors was originally roughly parallel, we propose, using a monte carlo simulation technique, to estimate the amount of tectonic tilting at the time of magnetization along with a 95% confidence interval. If, for example, this confidence interval included 100% then one could not rule out pre‐tilting remanence. In the older terminology, the fold test is positive. The k‐ratio test of McElhinny [1964] is often said to be conservative in that if a study passes the k‐ratio test then it certainly passes a more rigorous test. We show with a typical counter‐example that this assertion is incorrect. Observational uncertainty of bedding directions is easily included in this formulation.

This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit: