Paleomagnetism of the Samar Ophiolite: Implications for the Cretaceous sub-equatorial position of the Philippine island arc

•The Samar Ophiolite formed in the Late Cretaceous at a paleolatitude of 14°S ± 6°.•This paleolatitude suggests formation farther south of other Philippine ophiolites.•Mesozoic units around PSP formed from a marginal basin N of the equator to ~ 15°S.

Samar island in the eastern part of Central Philippines is underlain by a complete ophiolite suite, the Samar Ophiolite. We present the first geochronological and paleomagnetic data for the Samar Ophiolite. Whole rock K-Ar dating of two basalt samples yielded an age of 100.2 ± 2.7 Ma and 97.9 ± 2.8 Ma. Thirteen sites in four localities yielded characteristic remanent magnetization with in situ direction of D = 340°, I = − 24°, k = 15, α95 = 11° and tilt-corrected direction of D = 342°, I = − 27°, k = 15, α95 = 11°. These values suggest that the ophiolitic basement rocks of Samar formed in the Late Cretaceous at a paleolatitude of 14°S ± 6°. The paleolatitude is several degrees south of the sub-equatorial positions calculated for the three other Mesozoic ophiolites of the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB) whose paleomagnetism had been previously studied. The PMB ophiolites in eastern and central Philippines share a common age, geochemistry and paleolatitude with the Halmahera Ophiolite, suggesting that they originated from a Mesozoic supra-subduction zone that spanned a few degrees north of the equator to around 15°S.