Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Magnetic anisotropy of hematite natural crystals: increasing low-field strength experiments

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hematite is a very abundant mineral in natural rock samples. Despite being one of the most important carriers of remanent magnetization, its magnetic anisotropy is not well understood partially due to its high coercivity and complex behavior. In particular, the field intensity beyond which the Rayleigh relation no longer holds varies from one crystal to another. This field threshold is usually less than the field used in most commercial instruments. The nonlinear behavior of low-field susceptibility may thus hinder the magnetic fabric analysis. We have carried out an intensive study of the low-field bulk susceptibility and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) at increasing low fields in the range of 2–450 A/m (effective value) in a collection of hematite natural crystals. Standard rock magnetic properties, X-ray diffraction, and mass spectrometry have also been determined in order to discover the parameters influencing the low-field susceptibility variations with field. The AMS principal directions, the shape of the AMS ellipsoid, and the degree of anisotropy are the parameters that can vary with different applied fields. It has been found that there is no correlation between magnetic properties like coercivity or saturation magnetization and the range in which the Rayleigh approximation is valid. However, there seems to be a correlation with the peak width determined from X-ray diffraction, suggesting that the Rayleigh region in hematite crystals is related to the spatial orientation of the physical domains within the basal plane.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anthony JW, Bideaux RA, Bladh KW, Nichols MC (1990) Handbook of mineralogy. Elements, sulfides, sulfosalts, I. Mineral Data Publishing, Tucson

    Google Scholar 

  • Borradaile GJ (1988) Magnetic susceptibility, petrofabrics, and strain: a review. Tectonophysics 156:1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borradaile GJ, Alford C (1987) Relationship between magnetic susceptibility and strain in laboratory experiments. Tectonophysics 133:121–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borradaile GJ, Stupavsky M, Metsaranta DA (2008) Induced magnetization of magnetite-titanomagnetite in alternating fields ranging from 400 A/m to 80,000 A/m; low-field susceptibility (100–400 A/m) and beyond. Pure Appl Geophys 165:1411–1433

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cullity BD (1972) Introduction to magnetic materials. Addison Wesley, New York

  • de Wall H, Nano L (2004) The use of field dependence of magnetic susceptibility for monitoring variations in titanomagnetite composition—a case study on basanites from the Vogelsberg 1996 Drillhole, Germany. Studia Geophysica et Geodaetica 48(4):767–776

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Wall H, Worm H-U (1993) Field dependence of magnetic anisotropy in pyrrhotite: effects of texture and grain shape. Phys Earth Planet Interiors 76:137–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunlop DJ, Özdemir Ö (1997) Rock magnetism: fundamentals and frontiers. Cambridge studies in magnetism. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Guinier A (1994) X-ray diffraction in crystals, imperfect crystals and amorphous bodies. Curies Dover Publications, Ontario

    Google Scholar 

  • Hrouda F (2002) Low-field variation of magnetic susceptibility and its effect on the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of rocks. Geophy J Int 150(3):715–723

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hrouda F (2007) Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of rocks in the Rayleigh law region: modelling errors arising from linear fit to non-linear data. Stud Geophys Geod 51:423–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hrouda F (2009a) Determination of field-independent and field-dependent components of anisotropy of susceptibility through standard AMS measurement in variable low fields I: theory. Tectonophysics 466:114–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hrouda F (2009b) Determination of field-independent and field-dependent components of anisotropy of susceptibility through standard AMS measurement in variable low fields II: an example from the ultramafic body and host granulitic rocks at Bory in the Moldanubian Zone of Western Moravia, Czech Republic. Tectonophysics 466:123–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hrouda F, Chlupacova M, Mrazova S (2006a) Low-field variation of magnetic susceptibility as a tool for magnetic mineralogy of rocks. Phys Earth Planet Interiors 154(3–4):323–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hrouda F, Chlupacova M, Pokorny J (2006b) Low-field variation of magnetic susceptibility measured by the KLY-4S Kappabridge and KLY-4A magnetic susceptibility meter: accuracy and interpretational programme. Studia geoph et geod 50:283–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • International Centre of diffraction data (ICDD) (1999) Powder diffraction file: data sets 1–49 plus 70–86. Release 1999, International Centre for Diffraction Data. Newton Square, 1999. CD ROM

  • Jackson MJ, Moskowitz BM, Rosenbaum J, Kissel C (1998) Field-dependence of AC susceptibility in titanomagnetites. Earth Planet Sci Lett 157:129–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jasonov PG, Nougaliev DK, Burov BV, Heller F (1998) A modernized coercivity spectrometer. Geologica Carpathica 49:224–225

    Google Scholar 

  • Jelinek V (1981) Characterization of the magnetic fabric of rocks. Tectonophysics 79:T63–T67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jelínek V (1997) Measuring anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility on a slowly spinning specimen—basic theory, Unpublished, Agico print No. 10, Brno

  • Jiles D (1991) Introduction to magnetism and magnetic materials. Chapman and Hall, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kodama KP (1995) Magnetic fabrics. Rev Geophys 33 suppl (IUGG report)

  • Kodama KP, Dekkers MJ (2004) Magnetic anisotropy as an aid to identifying CRM and DRM in red sedimentary rocks. Studia Geophysica et Geodaetica 48(4):747–766

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin-Hernandez F, Ferre EC (2007) Separation of paramganetic and ferrimagnetic anisotropies: a review. J Geophys Res 112(B3). doi:10.1029/2006JB004340

  • Martin-Hernandez F, Hirt AM (2004) A method for the separation of paramagnetic, ferrimagnetic and hematite magnetic subfabrics using high-field torque magnetometer. Geophys J Int 157(1):117–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin-Hernandez F, Dekkers MJ, Bominaar-Silkens IMA, Maan JC (2008) Magnetic anisotropy behaviour of pyrrhotite as determined by low- and high-field experiments. Geophys J Int 174(1):42–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrish AH (1965) The physical principles of magnetism. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrish AH (1994) Canted antiferromagnetism: hematite. World Scientific Publishing C. Pte. Ltd., Singapore

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters C, Dekkers MJ (2003) Selected room temperature magnetic parameters as a function of mineralogy, concentration and grain size. Phys Chem Earth 28(16–19):659–667

    Google Scholar 

  • Pokorny J, Suza P, Hrouda F (2004) Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of rocks measured in variable weak magnetic fields using the KLY-4S Kappabridge. In: Martín-Hernández F, Lüneburg C, Aubourg C, Jackson M (eds) Magnetic fabric: methods and applications. Special publications. Geological Society of London, London, pp 69–76

  • Porath H, Chamalaun FH (1966) The magnetic anisotropy of hematite bearing rocks. Pure Appl Geophys 67:81–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porath H, Raleigh CB (1967) An origin of the triaxial basal-plane anisotropy in hematite crystals. J Appl Phys 38:2401–2402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rochette P, Jackson M, Aubourg C (1992) Rock magnetism and the interpretation of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility. Rev Geophys 30:209–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sunagawa I, Flanders PJ (1965) Structural studies in hematite single crystals. Phil Mag 11:747–761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tarling DH, Hrouda F (1993) The magnetic anisotropy of rocks. Chapman & Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Townsend T (1920) Magnetization and hysteresis in hematite crystals. Phys Rev 15(5):345–364

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worm H-U (1991) Multidomain susceptibility and anomalously strong low field dependence of induced magnetization in pyrrhotite. Phys Earth Planet Interiors 69:112–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. X. Arroyo from the Geological Center for Research Assistance (UCM) for accurate X-ray diffraction measurements and crystallite size determinations and Dr. M. Larrea from the Mass Spectrometry Center (UCM). Dr. M. Mattesini is acknowledged for fruitful suggestions about X-ray diffraction and Dr. O. Ozdemir for inspiring discussion. The manuscript has also benefit from the accurate revision by Dr. M. Jackson, one anonymous reviewer and Editors Prof. H. de Wall and Dr. M. Chadima. This work is supported by Project no. CGL2008-02203 from EU to SGS, and a Ramón y Cajal Contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science to FMH.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dep. Geofísica, Fac. CC. Físicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    S. Guerrero-Suarez & F. Martín-Hernández

  2. Instituto de Geociencias (UCM-CSIC), Fac. CC. Físicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    F. Martín-Hernández

Authors
  1. S. Guerrero-Suarez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. F. Martín-Hernández
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Guerrero-Suarez.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 6.

Table 6 Summary of some of the most commonly used low field susceptibility instruments available with the commercial name, range of available field, type of field, and manufacturing company
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Guerrero-Suarez, S., Martín-Hernández, F. Magnetic anisotropy of hematite natural crystals: increasing low-field strength experiments. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 101, 625–636 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-011-0666-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-011-0666-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation