The Cambrian Period was one of the most eventful periods in the history of
the Earth, mainly known for the “Cambrian Explosion”, the rapid evolution and
diversification of animal life, marking the onset of the Paleozoic era. Locally,
the Cambrian sediments in the Middle East overlie parts of the vast peneplain,
which was formed when the Arabian-Nubian continental crust formation
processes ended, and the region became a craton. They also bear essential
ores, mainly copper and manganese. Despite its importance, the
paleogeography of the Late Precambrian to Early Cambrian world is not
adequately known, mostly due to the lack of sufficient or reliable
paleomagnetic records. Preliminary results hint at a near equatorial location,
but the number of samples is far too small for reliable conclusions. Therefore,
we are investigating the paleogeography of Israel based on the magnetic
signature of the volcanic and sedimentary rocks of southern Israel. We are
conducting a detailed sampling campaign of unaltered rocks of Late
Precambrian to Early Cambrian age and performing a paleomagnetic
investigation to unravel the remanent magnetization directions of the rocks.
We incorporate field relationships to verify the age of the magnetic directions.
The results will be used to compute the virtual geomagnetic poles that point at
the paleo-latitude and orientation of northeast Africa. Ultimately, we will apply
the results to create a new plate reconstruction model of the region and
assess its implications for climate, depositional and erosional environments,
and tectonics.