A palaeomagnetic study of Empress 1A, a stratigraphic drillhole in the Officer Basin: evidence for a low-latitude position of Australia in the Neoproterozoic

A palaeomagnetic study of the continuously cored Empress 1A deep stratigraphic drillhole in the Officer Basin, Western Australia, has revealed a stable high-temperature remanence component for the Early Palaeozoic Table Hill Volcanics, and the Neoproterozoic Lupton, Steptoe, Kanpa, Hussar, and Browne Formations. The low inclination of the remanence supports a low-latitude position for Australia in the Neoproterozoic and Early Palaeozoic. These palaeolatitudinal estimates are consistent with the results of previous palaeomagnetic studies of Australian Neoproterozoic rocks, and support a low-latitude position during deposition of glaciogenic rocks in the Marinoan Lupton Formation.