澳大利亚悉尼Long Reef Beach中新世古土壤岩石磁学特征及环境意义

本文对发育在澳大利亚悉尼附近的Long Reef Beach中新世古土壤剖面进行了系统的岩石磁学研究,测量了磁化率、饱和磁化强度、饱和等温剩磁、非磁滞剩磁等常温磁学参数和磁滞回线,并对所有样品进行了热磁分析.实验结果表明:全新世软土层主要磁性矿物为MD颗粒磁铁矿,磁性矿物含量与黄土高原黄土层相当.中新世老成土层随地层深度增加主要磁性矿物由磁铁矿转变为磁赤铁矿,随着磁铁矿向磁赤铁矿的转化,开始出现赤铁矿;磁性矿物粒径分布较广,以PSD颗粒为主,其次为SD颗粒,同时含有少量MD颗粒;磁性矿物含量高于黄土高原强发育古土壤层.中新世红土矿层主要磁性矿物为赤铁矿,同时含有少量磁赤铁矿和针铁矿,属于铁的富集层,赤铁矿以SD颗粒为主,含少量PSD和MD颗粒.Long Reef Beach中新世古土壤形成时期,对应着一种全球性高温多雨气候,地表化学风化作用十分强烈.丰富的降水,导致中新世老成土层发生淋溶作用,磁铁矿在向下淋溶迁移过程中逐渐氧化为磁赤铁矿和赤铁矿,铁氧化物最终在红土矿层淀积,磁赤铁矿经高温压实作用再结晶转化为赤铁矿.磁性矿物转化过程可概括为磁铁矿—磁赤铁矿化的磁铁矿—磁赤铁矿—赤铁矿,其中部分磁赤铁矿具有热稳定性,在空气(氩气)环境中加热到700℃未发生转化.     

黄土高原西北缘末次冰期晚期以来黄土沉积物的岩石磁学性质

以黄土高原西北缘的靖远和古浪剖面(包含黄土层L1上部和占土壤层SO)作为研究对象,选取代表性样品进行磁化率、频率磁化率、热磁曲线、等温剩磁获得曲线和磁滞回线等测定.结果表明,靖远和古浪L1黄土和SO古土壤具有相似的岩石磁学特征.磁性矿物含量相对较低,载磁矿物均以磁铁矿为主,同时含有磁赤铁矿和赤铁矿,且SO占土壤中的磁赤...     

大荔人遗址黄土-古土壤剖面岩石磁学性质研究

自从大荔人化石被发现以来,其遗址剖面便成为研究热点.先前的研究主要集中在地层的对比划分与头盖骨年龄的推断方面,然而对于载磁矿物的鉴定及其古气候含义方面的研究却相对较少.鉴于此,本文运用热磁分析、饱和等温剩磁和剩磁矫顽力谱分析、磁滞回线分析、频率磁化率分析、热退磁分析等方法,对大荔人遗址剖面进行了系统的岩石磁学性质研究,鉴定出其主要载磁矿物为磁铁矿,赤铁矿,磁赤铁矿,磁畴状态主要是似单畴.磁铁矿,赤铁矿是样品中特征剩磁的携带者;主要起源于成土作用的超顺磁颗粒和新生成的亚铁磁性矿物,是古土壤样品磁化率增强的主要贡献者;古土壤中软磁性矿物的含量高于黄土.样品中磁赤铁矿的含量并不高.黄土-古土壤样品的频率磁化率曲线,古里雅冰芯氧同位素、细微粒浓度曲线,岐山五里铺剖面有机质含量曲线在古气候记录方面具有一致性,都展示出至少从MIS5以来,气候从冰期到间冰期的变化是渐变的,反之则表现了突变特征.上述岩石磁学研究丰富了大荔剖面的磁学领域研究内容,为相关课题的深入研究提供了依据.     

华北地块早古生代地层单元的岩石磁学特征研究

通过对采自华北地块西部鄂尔多斯盆地边缘早古生代地层单元中的４４块定向岩芯样品的岩石磁学实验（饱和等温剩磁及剩磁矫顽力的测量，三轴磁化的饱和等温剩磁的系统热退磁和低温实验）研究，揭示出华北地块早古生代地层单元的各类岩石中，主要载磁矿物的构成具有磁铁矿或赤铁矿与中等居里温度的磁黄铁矿、磁赤铁矿等共存的特征；个别地层单元的岩石中以极低居里点的针铁矿为主要载磁矿物．     

河西走廊早新生代红层次生剩磁及其对原生剩磁影响评价

系统研究了河西走廊火烧沟组陆相红层200个采点岩石的热退磁行为和17个代表性样品的岩石磁学特征,结果表明有102个采点可以分离出A、B、C三个剩磁分量,有82个采点只有一个分量(C分量),16个采点只能分离出A、B分量.A、B分量分别由针铁矿和磁赤铁矿携带,C分量在砂岩中由磁铁矿携带,在泥质砂岩和泥岩中由磁铁矿和赤铁矿共同携带.A、B分量剩磁方向随机分布,不能获得置信水平的古地磁平均方向,为次生剩磁.它们的存在并不影响岩石原生剩磁的分离,也不影响原生剩磁信号的稳定性和获得的古地磁数据的可靠性.16个砂岩采点中不能分离出C分量,是由于后生的赤铁矿彻底改变了由磁铁矿携带的原生剩磁组分,在高密度采样的情况下剔除这些采点并不影响古地磁极性柱的构建和解释.     

Measurements of thermal magnetic susceptibility of hematite and goethite

Magnetic susceptibility (MS) of natural specimens of hematite and goethite is studied under continuous heating with various additives: with carbon (sugar), nitrogen (carbamide), and elemental sulfur. It is found that heating of hematite with carbon above 450°C results in the formation of single-domain magnetite, while the magnetic susceptibility rises by a factor of 165. The increase in magnetic susceptibility on heating of hematite with nitrogen above 540°C reflects the generation of a single-domain maghemite with the Curie point of about 650°C, which is stable to heating. After the first heating, the magnetic susceptibility increases by 415 times. The subsequent cycle of thermal treatment results in the transition of maghemite to hematite, a decrease of MS, and an increase of coercivity. Heating with sulfur produces a stable single-domain magnetite at a temperature above the Curie point, which is manifested in the cooling curves. Here, the MS increases by a factor of 400. The heating curves for goethite exhibit a sharp drop in susceptibility to a temperature of 350–360°C, which reflects the transition of hematite to goethite. Heating of hematite with carbon produces stable maghemite at above 530°C, and with sulphur and nitrogen, it produces magnetite. When heated with pyrite, hematite reduces to magnetite under the action of sulfur released from pyrite.     

北京密云水库表层沉积物磁性矿物的鉴别

本文对密云水库表层沉积物中的磁性矿物进行了岩石磁学和透射电子显微学的综合研究.本实验建立的磁选方法实现将70%~85%左右的磁性矿物从沉积物中分离出来.岩石磁学研究表明,密云水库沉积物中的磁性矿物以多畴和单畴磁铁矿为主,还含有少量高矫顽力弱磁性载磁矿物(可能为赤铁矿).对磁选矿物的透射电镜观测表明,样品中部分单畴磁铁矿具有纳米尺寸和化学纯度高等特点,为拉长的立方-八面体磁铁矿,是趋磁细菌产生的化石磁小体;多畴磁铁矿多数具有微米尺寸,形状不规则,为碎屑成因;超顺磁磁铁矿粒径约为5~20nm,且含硅、铝等元素,可能为自生成因.研究结果表明,岩石磁学和透射电子显微学的综合应用可以更全面、准确地分析沉积物中磁性矿物的成分、含量、粒径和化学成分等信息,为环境磁学、生物地磁学和古地磁学研究提供依据.     

Magnetic methods in tracing soil erosion,Kharkov Region,Ukraine

Magnetic measurements of soils are an effective research tool in assessing soil erosion. This approach is based on detecting layers showing different magnetic properties in vertical soil profiles and lateral catenas. The objective of this research is to compile data on magnetic susceptibility (MS) of soils in Eastern Ukraine to assess the soil erosion rates. The chernozems of Tcherkascy Tishki (Kharkov Region, Ukraine) have undergone a field crop rotation without proper soil conservation technologies being applied. We conducted an intrinsic element grouping of the magnetic susceptibility values and demonstrated that they can be used as MS cartograms in soil erosion mapping. The study showed a strong correlation between the MS values and the erosion index. MS and the erosion index were found to correlate with the humus content. Magnetic mineralogical analyses suggest the presence of highly magnetic minerals (magnetite and maghemite) as well as weakly magnetic goethite, ferrihydrite, and hematite. Stable pseudosingle-domain (PSD), single-domain (SD), and superparamagnetic (SP) grains of pedogenic origin dominate in the studied chernozems. Being an effective, quick and low cost alternative, magnetic methods can be successfully used in the soil erosion investigations.     

Contribution of rock magnetism to stratigraphy and palaeoenvironment of the Karaïn cave infill,Antalya, Turkey

The magnetic properties of the infill of the Karaïn cave in Turkey were compared to the results of a sedimentological study on three longitudinal sections. The sediments of this site, namely cavity E, cover a period of ca. 500 ka and correspond to a large part of the Middle and Upper Pleistocene. The evolution observed for the various magnetic parameters is mainly related to climatic changes which followed one another during the infilling history of the cave. Two preconditions are necessary to understand the environmental magnetism, namely both the identification and the quantification of different magnetic phases (components) in the sediments, expressed by the ratio of the various magnetic parameters and the analysis of the magnetization curves. The results obtained through the study of the different magnetic parameters (low-field initial bulk (κ_lf) and mass (χ_lf) magnetic susceptibility, frequency dependence of the magnetic susceptibility (χ_fd), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM), hysteresis parameters, anhysteretic susceptibility, ...) on 171 samples allowed us: 1 — to follow the nature, size and source of the grains at each level, and 2 — to identify six alternating levels, having different magnetic susceptibility signatures during warm, damp periods, in which the contribution of prehistorical hominidae (Homo Sapiens or Homo Neandertalensis) and animals, could have modified the original sedimentary structures.This study, in agreement with the sedimentological results, suggests a significant difference between sandy or sandy-silty levels (3 and 5) and those rich in clays and concretions. The sandy or sandy-silty levels are mainly characterized by a low amount of antiferromagnetic type grains, likely goethite and hematite, dominated by single-domain size (SD) and a small content of ferrimagnetic type grains, likely magnetite of multidomain size (MD), inherited from the host rock. Antiferromagnetic grains did not develop and were a priori drifted by the wind. They could be contemporaneous with a cold climate.The clays and clayey-silty levels are characterized by a large amount of superparamagnetic (SP) and SD grains, and a high content of low coercivity magnetic grains (magnetite, maghemite and Ti-magnetite). The saturation remanent magnetization (SIRM) of clayey levels is 5 to 10 times higher than that of sandy levels. The clayey levels are contemporaneous with a humid climate, which favoured the formation of secondary iron oxides, of stalagmitic floors and calcite concretions and of the emplacement of local pedogenesis phenomena, mainly at the top of the infill, i.e. in Level 6.     

一个变泥质岩包体样品的系统热磁试验及其矿物学意义

利用一件采自河北汉诺坝周坝地区变泥质岩包体样品,结合系统的低温和高温磁性测量结果,探讨了应用热磁实验鉴别样品中所含原生磁性矿物的多解性问题. 结果表明, 饱和等温剩余磁化强度（SIRM）在室温～250℃以及280℃～380℃的降低分别由高钛钛磁铁矿的剩磁解阻过程（一种物理过程）以及由磁赤铁矿转换成赤铁矿（一种矿物相变）引起.样品在500℃以后磁化率的升高则是由磁铁矿从钛磁赤铁矿中出溶所致.因此,κ T（即磁化率随温度变化）曲线中呈现约580℃居里点是由加热过程中次生的磁铁矿引起,而并非代表原始（即加热前）样品中的磁铁矿成分.     

Grain size limit for SD hematite

Grain sizes in the range (10⁻⁴ to 10⁻¹ mm) are common in some rocks. Because thermal and/or chemical remanent magnetization of hematite in this range approaches intensities of single domain (SD) magnetite, careful exploration of this transition, may serve to develop new applications in rock magnetism that relate to magnetic anomaly source identification, and various paleomagnetic and grain size-dependent investigations.Grain size-dependent magnetic behavior of hematite reveals a SD–multidomain (MD) transition at 0.1 mm. This transition is recognized by variation in magnetic coercivity and susceptibility and is related to an anomaly in remanence recovery when cycling through the Morin transition. The coercivity decrease with increasing grain size occurs much more gradually above 0.1 mm than below this value. Magnetic susceptibility of the grains smaller than 0.1 mm has negligible dependence on the amplitude of the applied alternating magnetic field. For the larger grains a new amplitude-dependent susceptibility component is observed. The grain size of 0.1 mm is also associated with loss of most of the remanence when cycling through the Morin transition. This behavior is ascribed to a transition from the metastable SD to the MD magnetic state. The increase in magnetized volume causes the demagnetizing energy to destabilize the SD state, resulting in a transition where the demagnetizing energy is reduced by nucleation of the domain wall for grains larger than 0.1 mm. The 0.1 mm transition has no significant effect on shape of the temperature-dependent coercivity and saturation magnetization.     

亚热带富铁土的磁学性质及其磁性矿物学

通过５５个亚热带富铁土的磁化率（χ）、频率磁化率(χ_ｆｄ)、非滞后剩磁（ＡＲＭ）和饱 和等温剩磁（ＳＩＲＭ）等磁性参数测定,结合氧化铁化学形态分析和矿物鉴定,初步明确了亚热 带富铁土的磁学特征及其磁性矿物．磁测数据表明富铁土中存在强磁性的矿物,其磁化率χ 与土壤游离氧化铁（Ｆｅ_ｄ）含量呈极显著指数正相关（Ｒ^２＝０．５９７１）,频率磁化率χ_ｆｄ与土壤游离氧 化铁含量呈极显著直线正相关（Ｒ^２＝０．４２８９）．富铁土的χ_ｆｄ和非滞后磁化率χ_ＡＲＭ。值表明土壤 中的磁性矿物以超顺磁性（ＳＰ）和稳定单畴（ＳＳＤ）颗粒为主,富铁上的χ和χ_ＡＲＭ呈极显著直线 正相关（Ｒ^＝ ０．９４２９）,证明富铁土的磁性是由风化成土过程产生的 ＳＰ和 ＳＳＤ磁性颗粒贡献 的．矿物磁测结合Ｘ－衍射证明富铁土中的氧化铁矿物由赤铁矿、磁赤铁矿和针铁矿组成。     

Characteristics and genesis of maghemite in Chinese loess and paleosols: Mechanism for magnetic susceptibility enhancement in paleosols

Morphological characteristics and microstructures of magnetic minerals extracted from Chinese loess and paleosols were investigated using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Our results indicate that maghemite in loess–paleosol sequences was transformed from magnetite through oxidation of magnetite. Maghemite transformed from eolian magnetite during chemical weathering has low-angle grain boundaries among maghemite nano-crystals. Some nano-crystalline maghemites with nanoporous texture resulted from microbe-induced precipitation of magnetite or transformation of poorly crystalline ferric Fe (oxy)hydroxides in presence of Fe-reducing bacteria. Aggregates of euhedral maghemite nano-crystals were transformed from magnetite magnetosomes. Both microbe-induced nanoporous magnetite and microbe-produced magnetite magnetosomes are directly related to microbial activities and pedogenesis of the paleosols. It is proposed that the formation of nano-crystalline maghemite with superparamagnetic property in paleosol results in the enhancement of magnetic susceptibility, although the total amount (weight percent) of magnetic minerals in both paleosol and loess units is similar. Our results also show that nano-crystalline and nanoporous magnetite grains prefer to transform into maghemite in semi-arid soil environments instead of hematite, although hematite is a thermodynamically stable phase. This result also indicates that a decrease in crystal size will increase stability of maghemite. It is also inferred that surface energy of maghemite is lower than that of hematite.     

Magnetic Anisotropy as an Aid to Identifying CRM and DRM in Red Sedimentary Rocks

To further evaluate the potential of magnetic anisotropy techniques for determining the origin of the natural remanent magnetization (NRM) in sedimentary rocks, several new remanence anisotropy measurement techniques were explored. An accurate separation of the remanence anisotropy of magnetite and hematite in the same sedimentary rock sample was the goal.In one technique, Tertiary red and grey sedimentary rock samples from the Orera section (Spain) were exposed to 13 T fields in 9 different orientations. In each orientation, alternating field (af) demagnetization was used to separate the magnetite and hematite contributions of the high field isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM). Tensor subtraction was used to calculate the magnetite and hematite anisotropy tensors. Geologically interpretable fabrics did not result, probably because of the presence of goethite which contributes to the IRM. In the second technique, also applied to samples from Orera, an anisotropy of anhysteretic remanence (AAR) was applied in af fields up to 240 mT to directly measure the fabric of the magnetite in the sample. IRMs applied in 2 T fields followed by 240 mT af demagnetization, and thermal demagnetization at 90°C to remove the goethite contribution, were used to independently measure the hematite fabric in the same samples. This approach gave geologically interpretable results with minimum principal axes perpendicular to bedding, suggesting that the hematite and magnetite grains in the Orera samples both carry a depositional remanent magnetization (DRM). In a third experiment, IRMs applied in 13 T fields were used to measure the magnetic fabric of samples from the Dome de Barrot area (France). These samples had been demonstrated to have hematite as their only magnetic mineral. The fabrics that resulted were geologically interpretable, showing a strong NW-SE horizontal lineation consistent with AMS fabrics measured in the same samples. These fabrics suggest that the rock's remanence may have been affected by strain and could have originated as a DRM or a CRM.Our work shows that it is important to account for the presence of goethite when using high field IRMs to measure the remanence anisotropy of hematite-bearing sedimentary rocks. It also shows that very high magnetic fields (>10 T) may be used to measure the magnetic fabric of sedimentary rocks with highly coercive magnetic minerals without complete demagnetization between each position, provided that the field magnetically saturates the rock.     

渤海南部莱州湾Lz908孔沉积物的岩石磁学性质

亚洲大陆边缘海和陆表海在区域的物质和能量交换以及区域气候与环境演化过程中扮演了关键角色.磁性地层学和环境磁学方法是建立年代框架和环境演变序列的有效手段,但是,由于该地区边缘海和陆表海沉积物中磁性矿物来源十分复杂,磁性地层学和环境磁学研究的重要基础是要精细地解译沉积物的岩石磁学性质.为此,本文利用渤海南部莱州湾Lz908孔与钻孔附近的现代沉积物样品进行了详细的岩石磁学对比研究.结果显示,渤海南部沉积物中的磁性矿物主要是较粗颗粒(较大的准单畴至多畴)磁铁矿,还有少量磁赤铁矿,部分沉积物还含有赤铁矿和针铁矿,其中磁铁矿是特征剩磁的主要载体;莱州湾现代河流-海洋沉积物和钻孔样品之间的磁性特征无显著差异,说明莱州湾沉积物堆积之后尚未经历明显的沉积后期改造.     

CBD方法对天然样品磁性矿物影响

本研究选择川西高原、天山和西伯利亚Kurtak剖面的黄土古土壤样品及亚热带非风成样品进行CBD处理,系统测量并对比处理前后的磁学参数,包括低频磁化率、频率磁化率、非磁滞剩磁、饱和等温剩磁、剩磁矫顽力和热磁曲线(J-T曲线),分析处理前后磁性矿物种类、含量和磁畴的变化.结果表明,CBD方法对于磁性矿物的溶解并无明显的选择性,在温度与反应时间一定的条件下,磁性矿物的溶出量主要受控于其粒径分布.CBD方法可以非常有效地去除具有更大比表面积的细粒(< 1 μm)磁性矿物,同时溶解粗粒(>1 μm)磁性矿物外缘,使其粒径变细.CBD处理后磁化率变化存在多种可能,对于成土作用较强的古土壤,CBD方法可以较为准确地提取成土成因的磁性信息;而干旱和过度湿润条件下的风积黄土,不宜使用CBD方法区分原生与次生磁性矿物.     

Rock magnetic criteria for the detection of biogenic magnetite

We report results on the magnetic properties of magnetites produced by magnetotactic and dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria. Magnetotactic bacterial (MTB) strains MS1, MV1 and MV2 and dissimilatory iron-reducing bacterium strain GS-15, grown in pure cultures, were used in this study. Our results suggest that a combination of room temperature coercivity analysis and low temperature remanence measurements provides a characteristic magnetic signature for intact chains of single domain (SD) particles of magnetite from MTBs. The most useful magnetic property measurements include: (1) acquisition and demagnetization of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) using static, pulse and alternating fields; (2) acquisition of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM); and (3) thermal dependence of low temperature (20 K) saturation IRM after cooling in zero field (ZFC) or in a 2.5 T field (FC) from 300 K. However, potentially the most diagnostic magnetic parameter for magnetosome chain identification in bulk sediment samples is related to the difference between low temperature zero-field and field cooled SIRMs on warming through the Verwey transition (T ≈ 100 K). Intact chains of unoxidized magnetite magnetosomes have ratios of δ_FC/δ_ZFC greater than 2, where the parameter δ is a measure of the amount of remanence lost by warming through the Verwey transition. Disruption of the chain structure or conversion of the magnetosomes to maghemite reduces the δ_FC/δ_ZFC ratio to around 1, similar to values observed for some inorganic magnetite, maghemite, greigite and GS-15 particles. Numerical simulations of δ_FC/δ_ZFC ratios for simple binary mixtures of magnetosome chains and inorganic magnetic fractions suggest that the δ_FC/δ_ZFC parameter can be a sensitive indicator of biogenic magnetite in the form of intact chains of magnetite magnetosomes and can be a useful magnetic technique for identifying them in whole-sediment samples. The strength of our approach lies in the comparative ease and rapidity with which magnetic measurements can be made, compared to techniques such as electron microscopy.     

Rock-magnetic proxies of climate change from loess -paleosol sediments of the Czech Republic

Summary Rock-magnetic characteristics of late Pleistocene loess-paleosol sequences in the Czech Republic show patterns of variation that reflect climate-related depositional and diagenetic processes which acted on the sedimentary profiles. Mass-normalized magnetic susceptibility is high in interglacial and interstadial paleosols, while uniformly low values are measured in unweathered loess horizons. Normalized ferrimagnetic susceptibility and anhysteretic remanent magnetization show an enhancement of ultrafine (superparamagnetic, SP) and fine (single-domain, SD, and pseudo-single-domain, PSD) grains in chernozem paleosols correlated with δ¹⁸O substages 5c and 5a as well as in the Holocene soil. The parabraunerde paleosol associated with peak interglacial conditions, correlated with δ¹⁸O substage 5e, shows evidence of diagenetic loss of fine grained magnetic minerals, although coarse (multidomain, MD) grains appear to be preserved. Low temperature remanence behavior plus high temperature susceptibility measurements of representative samples from each lithologic unit indicate that magnetite and maghemite are the dominant magnetic minerals within the sediments. Variations in concentration-independent rock-magnetic parameters are therefore primarily a function of grain size variations through the profile. It is anticipated that with additional magnetic and non-magnetic sedimentological and geochemical tests, a quantitative rock-magnetic — paleoclimate model can be developed for the central European loess region.     

三门峡盆地晚新生代沉积物磁性载体类型

对三门峡盆地晚新生代沉积岩样品进行岩石磁学研究,通过三轴饱和等温剩磁和剩磁矫顽力实验、交变退磁和热退磁实验及磁化率测定,发现黄土-古土壤、河湖相灰绿层和冲洪积层3种不同岩性的磁载体存在显著差异.即黄土-古土壤以磁铁矿为主,赤铁矿和磁赤铁矿很少;河湖相灰绿色沉积磁性矿物含量较低,主要为赤铁矿和磁铁矿,但磁铁矿较多,此外还有一些不稳定磁性矿物(如针铁矿、菱铁矿等);冲洪积物以磁铁矿和赤铁矿为主,磁铁矿相对较多.     

Effect of citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite treatment on fine-grained magnetite and maghemite

Mineral magnetic properties of soils and parent materials have been interpreted in terms of paleoclimate and rates of soil formation but it is important to understand which minerals contribute to the mineral magnetic signal. Citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite (CBD) treatment has been used to determine the amounts of fine-grained, often pedogenic, ferrimagnetic minerals relative to coarse-grained, often inherited, magnetic minerals. However, questions have been raised about the effect of particle size on the efficacy of CBD in dissolving magnetite and maghemite grains. In this paper we use magnetic susceptibility and its frequency dependence, and the low-temperature behavior of a saturation isothermal remanent magnetization, to track the dissolution of carefully sized magnetite grains. We found that the standard CBD procedure dissolves fine magnetite particles (ca. < 1 μm) but leaves larger particles (ca. > 1 μm) essentially intact. Thin oxidized coatings, presumably maghemite, are also dissolved by the CBD procedure. These results support previous interpretations that the CBD procedure can be used to distinguish between pedogenic and lithogenic magnetic grains, assuming that most pedogenic magnetic grains are sufficiently small (ca. < 1 μm) and most lithogenic magnetic grains are sufficiently large (ca. > 1 μm). These results also show that the standard procedure is too harsh to differentiate between 1 μm grains of magnetite and maghemite. A modified CBD extraction that uses half as much dithionite reduces the magnetic susceptibility of 1 μm magnetite grains by only 10%. This method may be useful in distinguishing between magnetite and maghemite grains in this size range.