  We have calculated the M1 strength distributions in the A=36,38 argon
isotopes within large-scale shell model studies which consider valence nucleons
in the sd and pf shells. While the M1 strength in 36Ar is well reproduced
within the sd shell, the experimentally observed strong fragmentation of the M1
strength in 38Ar requires configuration mixing between the sd and the pf shells
adding to our understanding of correlations across the N=20 shell gap.
