The magnetic and color properties of the mineral hematite give clues to past environmental conditions and is being used for paleoclimatic reconstruction.
Rock and mineral magnetism
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Marine Isotope Stage 6: First High-Resolution Field Record
A 200-year resolution record from the Black Sea for marine isotope stage 6 (130-180 ka) shows a stable geomagnetic field.
Posted inNews
Podcast: Putting Brains in Rock Machines
One geophysicist deviated from his usual work on paleomagnetism to study the magnetic remanence of human brains.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Review of Go-To Iron Analysis Method Reveals Its Pros and Cons
Researchers validated some steps in the standard sequential chemical technique used to extract different forms of iron from rock samples but found inconsistencies in other steps.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Paleomagnetism Indicators May Be Flawed
A new study finds that magnetism in volcanic ash tuff forms through varied processes, calling into question previously reliable signatures used to study variations in Earth’s magnetic field.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Challenging the Day Diagram, a Rock Magnetism Paradigm
A critique of the plot routinely used to determine bulk magnetic properties concludes the technique is so ambiguous that new approaches to understanding magnetic mineral assemblages must be developed.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Diagnosing Cryptic Remagnetization in Sedimentary Rocks
To understand the ancient movement of Earth’s tectonic plates, comprehensive magnetic and petrographic studies are needed to detect secondary magnetization in carbonates and other sedimentary rocks.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Explaining Why Some Paleomagnetic Results Fail
Reordering of mineral crystal lattice structures during laboratory heating may explain the frequent need to reject results of experiments that estimate the intensity of Earth's past magnetic fields.
Posted inNews
Bacteria Preserve Record of Earth's Magnetic Fields
Tiny yet stable magnetized particles created by microbes long ago could help scientists better determine the strength and orientation of ancient magnetic fields.