Studies of partial rotational remanent magnetization and rotational remanent magnetization at slow speeds of rotation

Summary. Rotational remanent magnetizations and partial rotational remanent magnetizations have been induced in four specimens using alternating magnetic fields of 55 mT maximum peak strength and 128 Hz, and speeds of rotation between 0.0016 and 0.4 rev s⁻¹. Each partial rotational remanent magnetization ( PRRM ), was produced by rotating the specimen only at the maximum setting of the alternating field. The variation of PRRM with (a) speed of rotation, ω, and (b) total angle of rotation, θ, was investigated. In (a), PRRM fell slowly but steadily as ω increased; for (b) it rose sharply as θ increased up to 60° and reached a maximum for θ between 90° and 120°. Alternating field demagnetizations of PRRMs were performed with the specimen (a) at rest, and (b) rotating about an axis perpendicular to the field. Rotation significantly enhanced the demagnetization process. Variation of the time T , taken to remove the inducing alternating field produced no detectable effect in the case of PRRM , but affected the value of ω at which a given feature of the RRM —ω curve appeared, and the product θ_F(=ω T ) appears to be more important than either ω or T separately. Current theories on RRM can be used to explain some of the new experimental data on PRRM .     

The origin of rotational remanent magnetization

Summary. Rotational remanent magnetization, RRM, is the magnetization acquired when a sample is rotated during alternating field demagnetization. Although the existence of RRM has been well documented in different laboratories, until now no physical mechanism explaining its origin has been given. We propose that the RRM originates from thermal fluctuations biased by a precessional torque associated with the alternating field. Our theory is consistent with the observation that no directional preference exists in the experimental situation until the sample is rotated relative to the alternating field. Moreover, our theory predicts that the combined sample rotation and precession will produce a RRM that switches direction when the frequency of sample rotation increases from any value below the frequency of the alternating field to any value above that frequency as observed in experiments. Although no precise theory is given for the intensity of RRM, the model presented here can qualitatively explain previous intensity observations.     

Rotational remanent magnetization (RRM) and its high temporal and thermal stability

The time and temperature stability of various types of magnetic remanence has been measured in pottery samples containing magnetite and in a clay sample containing manganese ferrite. The time decay of rotational remanent magnetization (RRM), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) and a low-field isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) has been measured. While the decay of the last two remanences is easily measurable at about 2 and 19 per cent per decade of time, respectively, the decay of RRM is too small to be measured, being less than about 0.1 per cent per decade of time. Thermal demagnetization of thermoremanent magnetization (TRM), ARM and RRM indicates that RRM is also the most thermally stable. The implications of these experiments are that rocks which exhibit gyromagnetic effects such as RRM contain highly stable particles and therefore are likely to be most suitable for palaeomagnetism.     

A magnetization process of sediments: laboratory experiments on post-depositional remanent magnetization

Summary. Palaeomagnetic studies require a theory of magnetization mechanism of sediments and a method of estimating magnetic field intensity from their remanences. This paper establishes a physical basis for the generation of the remanence in deep-sea and lake sediments experimentally.
Redeposition experiments have been carried out under centrifugal force in weak magnetic fields. The centrifuging method produces post-depositional remanent magnetization (post-DRM) in the compacted sediment, and its remanence and susceptibility are compatible with those of natural sediments and reconstituted materials of other redepositional experiments. Three properties of the post-DRM have been deduced from the experiments: (1) the efficiency of acquisition of post-DRM decreases with increase in density during the compaction process, (2) the total post-DRM is equal to the sum of the partial post-DRM (addition law), and (3) time is not a substantial factor for alignment of the magnetic particles. These results lead to the conclusions that the magnetic particles do not rotate steadily but in a series of steps, and that the density change is the crucial factor giving rise to the post-DRM.
A mathematical formula representing the remanence record in sediments is proposed on the basis of the experimental results and the model. The principal equation is expressed as an integral of the product of three parameters over time when sediments have been compacted; the field intensity variation, characteristic function of the sediment and the time derivative of the density change.     

The acquisition of post-depositional detrital remanent magnetization in a variety of natural sediments

Summary. Post-depositional detrital remanent magnetization (pDRM) is the primary means whereby many sediments acquire their palaeomagnetic signal. We have studied the acquisition of this magnetization in a variety of natural sediments. Our technique involves determining the magnetic direction recorded by a sediment as a function of the water content present in the sediment when the sediment experiences a change in the direction of the applied magnetic field. Most of the sediments used in this study were collected wet from natural environments and were preserved in their original state until they were used in the experiments. Grain sizes were measured by the settling tube method which led to the determination of the clay, silt and sand fractions in each sediment. Isothermal remanent magnetization acquisition studies indicated that the predominant magnetic carriers were magnetite. In the pDRM acquisition studies two distinct modes of behaviour were found. For sediments with a sand content less than 60 per cent, the original direction of magnetization was preserved regardless of the water content. Such behaviour is not consistent with a theoretical model which assumes that at high water contents the magnetic carriers remain mobile within fluid-filled voids and hence are able to realign along a new magnetic field direction. For sediments with a sand content in excess of 60%, remagnetization along a new magnetic field direction occurred as expected, provided the sediments were sufficiently wet. Studies of natural sediments and corresponding samples of dried and reconstituted sediments have demonstrated that the magnetic characterization of a sediment can be reliably determined even for older, desiccated sediments.     

An experiment relating to rotational remanent magnetization and frequency of demagnetizing field

Summary. Several tests have been carried out to investigate how the generation of rotational remanent magnetization depended on the frequency of the applied demagnetizing field. The equipment used is described. The investigation was carried out using two specimens, one being a synthetic specimen of magnetite, and the other a cylindrical rock sample. These specimens gave virtually identical behaviour with varying frequency, unlike the differing behaviours reported previously by Wilson & Lomax. For each of the separate alternating field frequencies used (ranging from 50 to 1210 Hz), as the rotational speed of each specimen was reduced from 0.1 cycle s⁻¹, the corresponding rotational remanent magnetization increased to a maximum value when the rotational speed was in each case just a little greater than 0.01 cycle s⁻¹, after which the rotational remanence decreases as the rotational speed decreases.     

An investigation of the scattered remanent magnetization of the Dunnet Head sandstone

Summary. The directions of remanent magnetism of samples of the Dunnet Head sandstone from Scotland are very scattered on a scale down to a few millimetres, although an overall mean direction is reasonably well defined. The scattered directions show considerable stability against thermal demagnetization and there is evidence that haematite pigment is an important carrier of the remanence. It is concluded that the origin of the inhomogeneous magnetization is a disturbed ambient field during acquisition of chemical remanence by the pigment.