Seamont magnetism in the Ionian Sea, eastern Mediterranean

Several seamounts in the Ionian Sea, the largest unit in the eastern Mediterranean, have magnetic anomalies. The magnetization vectors of six of these seamounts have been calculated. These paleomagnetic data suggest that the Ionian Sea is composed of several crustal units which came to their present location from different directions. This implies that there has been relative motion in the past between various land masses around the Ionian Sea. The possibility that the Ionian Sea is composed of several crustal units is supported by observations of the magnetic field over the area which is of different character in the north and south. The major limitation in applying the paleomagnetic data into an evolutionary scheme is that all the seamounts in the Ionian Sea as well as its crust are undated.