Magnetic anisotropy of rocks and its application in geology and geophysics

Magnetic anisotropy in sedimentary rocks is controlled by the processes of deposition and compaction, in volcanic rocks by the lava flow and in metamorphic and plutonic rocks by ductile deformation and mimetic crystallization. In massive ore it is due to processes associated with emplacement and consolidation of an ore body as well as to ductile deformation. Hence, it can be used as a tool of structural analysis for almost all rock types. Morcover, it can influence considerably the orientation of the remanent magnetization vector as well as the configuration of a magnetic anomaly over a magnetized body. For these reasons it should be investigated in palaeomagnetism and applied geophysics as well.