Characteristics of drying remanent magnetization in sediments

Drying remanent magnetization is shown to be a physical phenomenon which is dependent on water content and magnetic grain shape. Anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) acquisition studies show that no significant chemical changes occur on drying. There is a critical water content below which grain motion ceases. In a clay matrix, this water content is about 75% for single-domain needles and below 70% for single-domain euhedral grains. The rotation of grains during drying causes the magnetic moment to rotate toward the plane perpendicular to drying compression, and toward the external magnetic field. The rotation for euhedral grains is not restricted by shape anisotropy, while that for acicular grains is. Drying remanence cannot be completely removed once a sample has dried below its critical water content; however, most natural samples may be near or below their critical water content when cored.     

Natural remanent magnetization of carbonaceous chondrites

We have observed natural remanent magnetizations (NRM), ranging from 10⁻³ to 10⁻⁵ Gauss cm³/g, at least two orders of magnitude greater than 10⁻⁷, the noise level of our spinner magnetometer, in the carbonaceous chondrites, Orgueil, Cold Bokkeveld, Nogoya and Mighei. Preliminary alternating field demagnetization of two samples of Orgueil showed a moderate sized stable component of 10⁻⁴ Gauss cm³/g. Microscopic study reveals that a grey spinel oxide, Ni-Fe and an Fe sulphide are the principal opaque minerals in both Cold Bokkeveld and Orgueil; the oxide phase predominates in both, while the Ni-Fe is more visible in the former. Coercive force determinations in Orgueil and Cold Bokkeveld indicate single domain particles as the NRM carrier. These meteorites are suitable for the determination of the magnetic field intensity in the primary solar nebula.     

On the theory of depositional remanent magnetization in sediments

Summary A more precise solution of equation, describing process of orientation of isometric ferromagnetic particles at their deposition in liquid under influence of external homogeneous magnetic field is presented. It is shown, that this moreprecise investigation of the problem doesn't lead to qualitative new results for describing processes of particles orientation, than that given byT. Nagata.     

Measurement of the effect of particle size variation on the detrital remanent magnetization to anhysteretic remanent magnetization ratio in some abyssal sediments

Deposition experiments have been carried out to measure the effect of particle size variation on the relationship between detrital remanent magnetization (DRM), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM), and geomagnetic field intensity in sediments.Foraminiferal ooze from a box core taken in the Columbian Basin south of Jamaica was separated into several particle size ranges and redeposited in the laboratory in known magnetic fields. The intensity and alternating field (AF) demagnetization characteristics of the DRM and a subsequently applied ARM were compared for the various particle size ranges.The results show a variation of DRM/ARM ratios with particle size. The DRM intensities and directions indicate that particle sizes greater than 38 μm do not contribute significantly to the DRM of the total sediment. ARM intensities for larger particle sizes and particle size analysis of the whole sediment indicate that the fraction greater than 38 μm does make a significant contribution to the total ARM of a sample. Use of the DRM/ARM ratio in experimental measurements of magnetic paleointensity indicates that the method is unsatisfactory for sediments having a significant fraction of magnetic particles larger than 38 μm. It is also shown that, for sediments having a significant fraction of high-coercivity magnetic grains, the relative orientation of the ARM and DRM will affect ARM intensities, making necessary the use of corrected ARM and DRM intensities for ratio calculations.     

Thermoremanent and chemical magnetization of exsolution products of nanosized titanomagnetites

Based on the theory of two-phase interacting nanoparticles, the formation of thermoremanent and chemical remanent magnetization in nanosized titanomagnetites is modeled. It is shown that the value of thermoremanent magnetization barely depends on the degree of titanomagnetite exsolution whereas, chemical remanent magnetization which emerges during the exsolution increases up to at most the value of thermoremanent magnetization. The values of the ratio of thermoremanent to ideal magnetization, R _t , fall within the limits 0.8 ≤ R _t ≤ 1. The analogous ratio of chemical remanent magnetization to the ideal R _c are below R _t at all stages of the exsolution. Besides, the magnetic interaction between the nanoparticles reduces the values of thermoremanent and chemical magnetization but barely affects the ratio.     

On the theory of depositional remanent magnetization in sedimentary rocks

The effects of various factors such as thermal agitation, coagulation, anisotropy of susceptibility, and shape irregularity on the alignment of magnetic carrier grains during the process of acquisition of depositional remanent magnetization in sedimentary rocks is discussed.     

Post-depositional remanent magnetization in a re-deposited deep-sea sediment

Re-deposition of some deep-sea clay material in the earth's magnetic field is described. At the time of an induced reversal of the ambient field declination, calcium carbonate layers were introduced for identification purposes. NRM and bulk susceptibility measurements along the still moist sediment cores showed the presence of a time lag of around 10 days between a change in the ambient field direction and a corresponding change in the stable magnetization. AF-demagnetization of discs sampled from a dried core suggested that this time lag was caused by a post-depositional remanent magnetization mechanism. Magnetomineralogical investigations show the presence of the thermally unstable magnetic mineral phase, probably titano-maghemite. A positive correlation between NRM-intensities and water temperature during deposition is discussed. It is suggested that consolidation-rate is a major factor influencing the NRM intensity in deep-sea sediments.     

On the use of anhysteretic remanent magnetization in paleointensity determination

The relative intensities of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (RAM) and thermoramanent magnetization (TRM) are strongly dependent on grain size, blocking temperature and applied field, and are poorly predicted by existing theories. Analog techniques that substitute ARM for TRM probably yield adequate relative paleointensities in suites of mineralogically similar rocks, but they yield uncertain estimates of absolute paleointensity.     

Anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) in magnetite grains

Summary ARM has been measured in a range of inducing, steady fields up to 50 oersteds and for 6 sizes of magnetite grains with average diameters 5 m to 174 m. For all sizes a slight non-linearity of ARM with inducing field was found, apparently comprising a non-linear contribution independent of grain size plus a linear contribution which increased with decreasing grain size. In the largest grains induced ARM agreed well with multidomain grain theory. Relative enhancement of ARM in smaller grains is comparable to the enhancement of thermoremanence and therefore appears to indicate a pseudosingle domain contribution to ARM in small grains. However the observations allow an alternative explanation in terms of more extreme dimension ratios in the smaller grains. Presentation of the equations for multidomain ARM and TRM using observed instead of intrinsic susceptibilities makes it appear that the inadequacy of multidomain theory (and consequent necessity for pseudo-single domain theory) are less serious than has been supposed.     

On the abnormally high natural remanent magnetization of certain lavas

Summary The rock specimens found to have natural remanent magnetization of abnormally high intensity, have been generally from hill sides or tops, or from ridges high up from the local surroundings. A field of several hundred oersteds has been found sufficient to produce in some of the artificially demagnetized specimens an isothermal magnetization of the same order as the abnormal natural ones, and this magnetization has shown a similar degree of stability as the natural one. Variations in the direction and magnitude of the natural magnetic vector have been found over a distance of a few centimetres. Laboratory tests indicate a normal chemical composition for the specimens. The lightning discharge seems to be the plausible cause of abnormally high magnetization of rocks, which is generally isothermal and might have originated in the recent past, but the magnetization is sometimes complicated probably by the thermal effect of the discharge.     

Flocculation mechanism of the acquisition of remanent magnetization by sedimentary rocks

Coagulation of particles into aggregates during their deposition in a reservoir is numerically simulated with regard for Brownian motion, Van der Waals forces, gravitation, Stokes friction, and magnetostatic interaction, and the effect of this process on the depositional magnetization (DRM) is estimated. Clusters obtained due to random aggregation of smaller clusters have a loose and branching structure. The average fractal dimension of the clusters is d = 1.83 ± 0.23. In the process of coagulation, magnetic particles do not form chains or clusters, as was supposed in a number of preceding works, but become rather uniformly distributed among nonmagnetic particles, which provides an additional argument in favor of the fact that chains of magnetite particles in marine sediments are of biogenic origin rather than a result of mutual attraction of magnetic particles due to magnetostatic interaction. The deposition process is shown to obey a kind of the principle of scale invariance: the number of clusters and their average number of particles do not change if the basin depth H and the surface concentration of initial material c ₀ simultaneously change (provided that temperature and the initial particle size r are constant) in such a way that Hc ₀ = const. Coagulation is the most important factor forming the bottom layer structure and the magnetization of the suspension at a relatively high concentration c ₀ Typical of redeposition conditions, lakes, and shelf seas. Coagulation virtually does not influence oceanic sediments because of the smallness of c ₀.     

Structure of remanent magnetization in some skye lavas,NW Scotland

In the British Tertiary igneous province one commonly observes reversed magnetizations with an abnormally large range of inclinations. Two of the Skye lava sequences which are of Early Eocene age have been chosen to investigate why this range of inclinations exists. Various laboratory studies of the natural remanence reveal a composite palaeomagnetic record. There are two axes of magnetization present: on steeply inclined (～ 75°) and one with an intermediate inclination (～35°). There is an excess of reversed polarity components in the bulk fossil remanence of most lavas and the inclination spread seems basically caused by superposition of these components. The experimental problem of splitting the polyphase magnetization into its separate sub-components is demonstrated by many examples. It is concluded that processes of low-temperature mineral alteration (which strongly overprints the high-temperature exsolution structures) and remagnetization must have been active for a minimum time span of 20 m.y. after the original cooling of the lavas, involving both polarity inversions and a major geomagnetic axis shift in mid-Tertiary times. As a conseqence, the original TRM has probably been erased to a major extent and replaced by CRM's in subsequent times. The polar estimate based on the shallow magnetization group agree well with suggested Lower Tertiary palaeopoles from Northern Ireland and from the Faeroe Irelands. The multivectoral nature of the remanent magnetization in the Skye lavas signifies that even for geologically very young rocks it is necessary to employ much more rigorous analysis techniques than are currently being used in many palaeomagnetic laboratories.     

Separation of magnetic anomalies into induced and remanent magnetization contributions

Inversion of magnetic data is complicated by the presence of remanent magnetization, and it provides limited information about the magnetic source because of the insufficiency of data and constraint information. We propose a Fourier domain transformation allowing the separation of magnetic anomalies into the components caused by induced and remanent magnetizations. The approach is based on the hypothesis that each isolated source is homogeneous with a uniform and specific Koenigsberger ratio. The distributions of susceptibility and remanent magnetization are subsequently recovered from the separated anomalies. Anomaly components, susceptibility distribution and distribution of the remanent and total magnetization vectors (direction and intensity) can be achieved through the processing of the anomaly components. The proposed method therefore provides a procedure to test the hypotheses about target source and magnetic field, by verifying these models based on available information or a priori information from geology. We test our methods using synthetic and real data acquired over the Zhangfushan iron-ore deposit and the Yeshan polymetallic deposit in eastern China. All the tests yield favourable results and the obtained models are helpful for the geological interpretation.     

The effect of uniaxial elastic deformation on the remanent magnetization of basalts

Summary The effect of uniaxial elastic deformation on the remanent magnetization of some basalts, containing generalized titanomagnetities of different chemical composition, was studied. The irreversible changes of the saturated and natural remanent magnetizations were measured. With the deformed samples no permanent change of the spectrum of micro-coercive forces, or change in the magnitude of the specific saturated remanent magnetization were observed. The experimental results agree with the model of mutual interaction of structural defects with magnetic domatins [10] under the assumption of predominantly reversible changes of the dislocation structure of the sample due to elastic deformation.     

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.     

The use of a portable fluxgate magnetometer for the estimation in the field of the direction and stability of remanent magnetization of rock specimens

Summary A portable magnetometer of the fluxgate type is described, which is capable of measuring in the field the direction and intensity of remanent magnetization of rock samples of 2 cm diameter with an accuracy of the order of 6° for intensities of 10^–3 emu/cc or more. The measurement and calculation can be carried out in less than five minutes, and a precision of the order of 2° can be obtained if more readings are taken so that ten minutes are required for a complete measurement. The chief limitation to the precision of measurement was found to be inhomogeneity of magnetization of the specimens. The instrument has been used to estimate stability of natural remanent magnetization where A.C. cleaning apparatus is not available, and the method of doing so is briefly described.Now with English Electric Computers.     

On the role of Brownian motion in the control of detrital remanent magnetization of sediments

Summary The field dependence of magnetic remanence in laboratory deposited sediments is re-examined in terms of the average orientation of small grains of magnetite subject to the combined effect of an aligning field and thermal agitation. The classical (Langevin) formula for paramagnetic susceptibility is generalized to describe an assembly of grains with magnetic moments having a uniform distribution of values between zero and an upper limit, yielding a simple analytical expression in excellent accord with the pioneering measurements of Johnson, Murphy and Torreson. Comparison of theory and observation shows that the grain moments are intermediate between the values expected for single domains and multidomains, confirming the existence of pseudo-single domain effects, as deduced from observations of thermoremanence.