Titanomagnetites prepared at different oxidation conditions: Influence of magnetite-rich inclusions

Synthetic titanomagnetites prepared at 1300°C at different oxidation potentials, although giving only spinel-type X-ray reflections, were found to contain a small amount of included material with a Curie point above that for the bulk material. Specimens, comprising either dispersed sized grains, or polycrystalline spherical aggregates of grains, develop thermoremanent moments which are dependent upon the presence of the inclusions. The magnetization of the inclusions is revealed by thermal demagnetization experiments, and the experimental results are compared with the effects expected to arise from magnetic shielding by the matrix titanomagnetite.     

Rock magnetic and petrographical–mineralogical studies of the dredged rocks from the submarine volcanoes of the Sea-of-Okhotsk slope within the northern part of the Kuril Island Arc

The rock magnetic properties of the samples of dredged rocks composing the submarine volcanic edifices within the Sea-of-Okhotsk slope of the northern part of the Kuril Island Arc are studied. The measurements of the standard rock magnetic parameters, thermomagnetic analysis, petrographical studies, and microprobe investigations have been carried out. The magnetization of the studied rocks is mainly carried by the pseudo-single domain and multidomain titanomagnetite and low-Ti titanomagnetite grains. The high values of the natural remanent magnetization are due to the pseudo-single-domain structure of the titanomagnetite grains, whereas the high values of magnetic susceptibility are associated with the high concentration of ferrimagnetic grains. The highest Curie points are observed in the titanomagnetite grains of the igneous rocks composing the edifices of the Smirnov, Edelshtein, and 1.4 submarine volcanoes.     

Peaked thermomagnetic curves for hematite-bearing rocks and concentrates

Hematite-bearing rocks commonly have thermomagnetic curves with pronounced peaks in magnetization at temperatures which vary between samples. These peaks and their variability were reproduced for a sample of nearly-pure hematite in a series of different applied fields. With increasing applied field the peak sharpness became less marked and the “peak temperature” decreased. These results are similar to those obtained by Day (1975) for synthetic titanomagnetite powders, and a similar interpretation is proposed. Most laboratory fields are insufficient to saturate hematite, and the unsaturated magnetization increases and is unblocked and aligned with the field at temperatures critically dependent on the hysteretic properties of the sample. The natural tendency for magnetization to decay with increasing temperature then produces the observed peak.     

Partial self-reversal in basalts containing mildly low-temperature oxidized titanomagnetite

Oligocene basalt samples, cored from Yarraman Creek in the Liverpool Range, New South Wales, Australia, have been found to contain two remanence components with opposing directions. The self-reversed component has been clearly identified in several samples subjected to detailed thermal demagnetization. Moreover, through AF demagnetization results alone, some unheated specimens display consistent multicomponent behavior.Several flows under investigation were extruded during what appears to have been an excursion of the geomagnetic field, each possessing a magnetization direction far from the full polarity state. The possibility that the self-reversed moments are simply secondary components, acquired in an opposing field direction is, therefore, ruled out.Optical examinations and thermomagnetic curves indicate that the samples contain from nearly unoxidized, to moderately low-temperature oxidized, titanomagnetite. The self-reversed component is most clearly removed during thermal demagnetization between about 230 and 290°C, above the observed Curie point of the titanomagnetite, and is believed to be associated with titanomaghemite. Consistently, the role of the self-reversed moment is seen to be most dramatic in samples showing the highest degree of low-temperature oxidation. Moreover, thermal demagnetization of samples from varying depths below the creek bed provide strong evidence that the self-reversed component in some, if not all, of the samples investigated develops at room temperature. The relevant self-reversal mechanism is currently under investigation.     

Rock magnetic properties of the lake Pernatoe sediments (Paramushir Island) as an indicator of the changes in sedimentation conditions

Lake Pernatoe is located on Paramushir Island, Kuril Arc, in the area of sand dunes. The 7-m-thick sediments of this lake pertain to the Holocene and contain palustrine, marine, and lacustrine facies. The rock magnetic properties of the sediments are analyzed for tracking the changes in sedimentation conditions. Marine facies are noted with low content of magnetic minerals; their magnetization is dominated by the paramagnetic component; pseudo-single-domain particles of magnetic material and iron sulfides (pyrite) are present. Pyrite frequently occurs in diatoms in the form of chains, spherules, and crystals. The lacustrine facies show high values of the magnetic parameters; they contain multidomain particles, mostly titanomagnetite and magnetite. Sands and sandy silts have the maximum values of magnetic parameters and reflect the stages of aeolian activity, corresponding to climatic cooling and marine regressions. On the basis of magnetic properties, four stages of active aeolian sedimentation are identified in the Holocene.     

Monodomain behaviour in multiphase oxidized titanomagnetite

Large grains, of the order of tens of microns in size, of synthetic titanomagnetite have been oxidized to produce an intergrowth of phases, essentially similar to that produced by the natural process of deuteric oxidation. The scale of the intergrowth is at the limit of the optical range but the electron microscope reveals the characteristic lamella microstructure. The magnetic hysteresis properties of the most highly oxidized material, having probably about 10% of residual spinel phase, are typical of dispersed monodomain magnetite rods. The investigation therefore supports the model in which it is proposed that titanomagnetite grains in a slowly cooled basalt may carry a highly stable component of natural remanent magnetization.     

Determination of the Formation Field of Artificial CRM and pTRM by the Thellier Method at Different Oxidation Stages of Natural Titanomagnetite

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - Artificial chemical remanent magnetization (CRM) created on a basalt rock from the Red Sea rift zone, originally containing titanomagnetite (TM) with a Curie...     

Low temperature magnetic properties of basalts containing near ~TM30 titanomagnetite

The paper is devoted to studying the mineral composition and magnetic properties, mainly at the cryogenic temperatures, of the Middle–Late Devonian basalts from North Timan. The magnetic minerals in these basalts are dominated by intermediate-composition titanomagnetites (TM25–TM30) which demonstrate unusual magnetic properties in a wide temperature range. At room temperature, a low coercive force coexists with relatively high M_rs/M_s ratios. At cryogenic temperatures, the dependences of magnetic susceptibility on the temperature and frequency of the applied field are characteristic of this titanomagnetite composition, whereas the remanent saturation magnetization acquired at 2 K is destroyed at significantly lower temperatures compared to the synthetic analogs. The obtained results again highlight the necessity of studying the low-temperature properties of titanomagnetite samples with a controlled composition and grain size.     

The effects of heating on low-temperature susceptibility and hysteresis properties of basalts

The variation of the low-field susceptibility of basalts down to liquid-nitrogen temperature always falls into one of three types that depend on the composition and grain size of the titanomagnetite grains present. Group 1 basalts contain predominantly unoxidised, multidomain homogeneous titanomagnetites having x 0.3. Group 2 basalts contain predominantly titanomagnetite grains with many exsolved ilmenite lamallae that subdivide the grains so that they act similarly to single domains. Group 3 basalts contain predominantly multidomain magnetite or magnetite-rich titanomagnetite having x 0.15. After repeated heating to 615°C, the group 1 basalts gradually oxidise above 300°C to produce the characteristics of group 2 basalts, owing to the exsolution of ilmenite. On the other hand, both group 2 and 3 basalts are stable to oxidation until at least 500°C. They are therefore the most useful material for palaeointensity studies.     

Magnetic petrology of eastern North America diabases, I. Olivine-normative dikes from western South Carolina

The oxide mineralogy and magnetic properties were examined in a suite of fifteen olivine-normative diabase dike samples from western South Carolina in an attempt to elucidate their magnetic petrology. Titanomagnetite (1–2 vol.%) is the dominant Fe-Ti oxide mineral. Ilmenite and secondary magnetite are generally present in very minor amounts. Chromite constitutes up to 0.5 vol.%; its abundance and composition correlate with bulk rock Cr. Various types of fine-scale microstructure are evident in titanomagnetite crystals. The most important are patterned anisotropism and the development of trellis-type ilmenite lamellae. Microprobe analyses indicate: (1) titanomagnetite compositions, x, are mostly between 0.4 and 0.55, and (2) low analytical totals are characteristic of most titanomagnetites. Curie temperatures of the diabases are 500–540°C, which are several hundred degrees higher than predicted from the observed titanomagnetite x's (150–300°C). We attribute these higher Curie temperatures to oxidation of the titanomagnetites, which has produced “titanomaghemites” having visible microstructure and yielding low analyses (because they are cation deficient). Natural remanence magnetization and REM (ratio of natural remanence to saturation remanence) vary between 4 and 100 × 10⁻⁴ A m² kg⁻¹ and 0.0019 and 0.032, respectively. These properties inversely correlate with Cr content and demonstrably contrast Cr-rich and Cr-poor samples. Initial susceptibility, saturation magnetization and coercivity values show a two- to three-fold range. Variations in initial susceptibility and coercivities appear to be largely related to the type and extent of oxidation-induced microstructure in the titanomagnetites.     

A detailed magnetic study of Cobb Seamount

Results from a detailed magnetic survey and paleomagnetic measurements on oriented rock samples from the summit of Cobb Seamount indicate that the Seamount is complexly magnetized, recording at least one field reversal. The remanent magnetization probably resides in single-domain titanomagnetite (10 mole % ulvo¨spinel in solid solution with magnetite) which is unlike that found in dredged basalts. The simplest explanation for this difference is that the Seamount's pinnacle formed subaerially.     

Magnetic properties of Antarctic shergottite meteorites EETA 79001 and ALHA 77005: possible relevance to a Martian magnetic field

The possibility that the parent body of the SNC meteorites is Mars implies that the magnetic properties of these meteorites may provide evidence concerning ancient Martian magnetic fields. EETA 79001 possesses a weak, very stable primary magnetization, the properties of which are consistent with its acquisition in an ambient magnetic field either during the meteorite's formation or during the severe shock event later in its history. The samples of ALHA 77005 studied possessed no measurable primary magnetization: the observed remanence appears to be a viscous magnetization acquired in local laboratory fields. The magnetic carriers in the meteorites are fine-grained magnetite and a lower Curie point mineral, probably titanomagnetite or pyrrhotite, present to the extent of less than 0.1% by weight. Estimates of the strength of the magnetizing field for EETA 79001 are in the range 1–10 μT.     

Palaeomagnetism of late Precambrian dolerite dykes from Varanger peninsula,north Norway

Palaeomagnetic investigations have been carried out on 12 dykes of Late Precambrian age from the Varanger peninsula, north Norway. The dykes are separated into two groups, the Kongsfjord dykes and the Båtsfjord dykes. In the Kongsfjord dykes, titanomagnetite is almost entirely erased, as a result of an extreme degree of alteration. Pyrrhotite is the dominating magnetic mineral, and only three stable specimen directions can be defined. In the Båtsfjord dykes, however, the most important magnetic constituent is nearly pure magnetite, and a two-axis magnetization structure is revealed. The directions of the major component conform to a Fisherian distribution, and are assumed to represent the relative Late Precambrian field. Superimposed on this magnetization is a minor component which is assumed to be of Caledonian origin, probably Ordovician. This latter remanence is in accordance with other Middle Palaeozoic results obtained in Western Europe. The upper age limit of the Late Precambrian field is discussed, and it is proposed that the polar shift from the Late Precambrian position to the main Palaeozoic group may have occurred as late as Middle Ordovician.     

Magnetostratigraphic dating of Early Miocene deep-sea fossils from the Morozaki Group in central Japan

Early Miocene sediments of the Morozaki Group in central Japan contain deep-sea fossils that have been dated using biostratigraphic and radiometric data. In this study, we utilize magnetostratigraphy to provide a more precise age for mudstones from just below the layer containing the fossils. Rock magnetic experiments suggest that both magnetic iron sulfide and Ti-poor titanomagnetite carry the remanent magnetization of the mudstones. Two different stratigraphic sites have normal polarity directions with a northeastern declination, which can be correlated with Chronozone C5Dn. Given their magnetostratigraphic position near the C5Dn/C5Dr chronozone boundary (17.466 Ma) and a high sedimentation rate, the estimated age for both the sites and the deep-sea fossils is ~17.4 Ma. The northeasterly-directed site-mean directions suggest clockwise tectonic rotation, most likely due to the Early Miocene clockwise rotation of Southwest Japan associated with the back-arc opening of the Japan Sea. The deep-sea fossils, dated at ~17.4 Ma, represent organisms deposited within a submarine structural depression formed by crustal extension during the back-arc opening stage.     

Some curious thermomagnetic curves and their interpretation

A study of the thermomagnetic curves of synthetic titanomagnetite powders, heated in air, in non-saturation applied magnetic fields showed that the shape of the curves was related to the magnitude of the applied field, the coercivity of the samples, and the effects of oxidation. The most important result to emerge from this study was the occurrence of reproducible peaks at low temperatures (～100–200°C). The temperature at which the peaks occur was found to increase with increasing coercive force or decreasing applied field. It is suggested that the peaks are the result of the “unblocking” of the magnetization, and should not be confused with thermomagnetic characteristics used to classify ferrites. The “unblocking” temperature is dependent on both the coercive force and the applied magnetic field, as is predicted by most models of thermo-remanent magnetization.     

A comparative analysis of magnetic properties in rocks: Five active submarine volcanoes in the western Pacific

We studied the petrophysical and magnetic properties of dredged rocks that compose the edifices of five active submarine volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean, viz., the Fukujin, Esmeralda, Kovachi, and Simbo at island arcs, and Ile des Cendres in a marginal sea. We measured the standard petrophysical and magnetic characteristics and performed three kinds of thermomagnetic analysis as well as an electron-probe analysis. Comparative analysis of magnetic properties in rocks showed that they are strongly differentiated by the value of natural remanent magnetization and of magnetic susceptibility. The greatest values are shown by the Esmeralda aphyric basaltic andesites, the lowest occur in the Ile des Cendres xenoliths. The principal carriers of magnetization in the rocks are grains of unaltered and/or oxidized titanomagnetite with varying domain structures. All the samples are magnetically isotropic.     

An experimental study of the titanomagnetite solid solution series

Summary Analysis of saturation magnetization measurements and data from the literature indicate that the cation distribution in the titanomagnetite solid solution series is temperature dependent. The ionic configuration of ferric and ferrous ions on both lattice sites of their spinel structure can be described by a modified Boltzmann relation in agreement with theoretical consideratios. Thermodynamic equilibrium isotherms for the cation distribution and the resulting variation of saturation magnetization are calculated on the basis of the experimental values. These results should be especially valuable for the interpretation of magnetic properties of rapidly cooled igneous rock units where a respective high-temperature metastable state may exist in the magnetic ore component.Further measurements of the Curie temperature and lattice constant did not confirm a similar effect. Both these parameters should therefore be qualified for the identification of naturally occurring titanomagnetites.     

Secondary remanent magnetization carried by magnetite inclusions in silicates: a comparative study of unremagnetized and remagnetized granites

Magnetic carriers in remagnetized Cretaceous granitic rocks of northeast Japan were studied using paleomagnetism, rock magnetism, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) by comparison with unremagnetized granitic rocks. The natural remanent magnetization (NRM) of the remagnetized rocks is strong (0.3–1.7 A/m) and shows a northwesterly direction with moderate inclination (NW remanence), whereas the unremagnetized rocks preserve weak NRM (<0.5 A/m) with westerly and shallow direction (W remanence). Although thermal demagnetization shows that both NRMs are carried by magnetite, the remagnetized rocks reveal a higher coercivity with respect to alternating field demagnetization (20 mT相似文献   

Magnetic petrology of the 1991–1995 dacite lava of Unzen volcano,Japan: Degree of oxidation and implications for the growth of lava domes

To understand the oxidation state and process of oxidation of lava domes, we carried out magnetic petrological analyses of lava samples obtained from domes and block-and-ash-flow deposits associated with the 1991–1995 eruption of Unzen volcano, Japan. As a result, we recognize three different types of magnetic petrology, each related to deuteric high-temperature oxidation during initial cooling. Type A oxides are characterized by homogenous titanomagnetite and titanohematite, indicating a low oxidation state and high titanomagnetite concentrations. Type B oxides are weakly exsolved and contain titanohematite laths and rutile lenses, indicating a higher oxidation state. Type C oxides, which represent the highest oxidation state, are completely exsolved and composed of Ti-poor titanomagnetite, titanohematite, rutile, and pseudobrookite, indicating high hematite concentrations. Some grains in Types A and B show indications of reduction, which was related to interaction with volcanic gases subsequent to high-temperature oxidation. In terms of geological occurrence, the oxidation processes probably differed for endogenous and exogenous domes. Endogenous dome lavas are oxidized concentrically and are classified into the three types according to their location within the dome: samples from the surface are strongly oxidized and classified as Type C, while the inner part is unoxidized and classified as Type A. Exogenous dome lavas are unoxidized and assigned to Type A. Some samples show signs of reduction, which may have occurred around fumaroles. We propose that location within the dome and the process of dome growth are the factors that control oxidation.     

Effect of Stress on the Magnetic Memory of Induced Magnetic Anisotropy of Rocks and Its Mathematical Model

When re-heated to temperatures below the Curie temperature and subsequently cooled in a constant magnetic field (H _T), rock samples which contain magnetic minerals can acquire an induced magnetic anisotropy (IMA). As the result of acquiring the IMA, a constriction develops in the hysteresis loop of the magnetization of these rocks at the values of the magnetizing field close or equal to the HT. Thus the IMA is capable of retaining the information on the palaeointensity of the geomagnetic field, i.e., if IMA was created in a rock in the geomagnetic field in a past geological epoch, it preserves the information on the intensity of that field. Investigations have shown, that when IMA is created in a rock under external stress, the stress has an impact on the magnetic memory. Here we also deal with the issue of how stress affects the magnetic memory of IMA. A mathematical model for the effect of stress on magnetic memory phenomena related to induced magnetic anisotropy in rocks containing multidomain magnetite and titanomagnetite grains is proposed herewith. The effect of temperature on the magnetic memory of rocks is discussed also.