Rock Magnetism. Fundamentals And Frontiers

Rock Magnetism is a comprehensive treatment of fine particle magnetism and the magnetic properties of rocks. Starting from atomic magnetism and magnetostatic principles, the authors explain why domains and micromagnetic structures form in ferrimagnetic crystals and how these lead to magnetic memory in the form of thermal, chemical and other remanent magnetizations. The phenomenal stability of these magnetizations, recording millions of years of plate tectonic motions, is explained using thermal activation theory, in which changes in magnetic domains and domain walls are blocked below a critical temperature or above a critical grain size. One chapter of the book is devoted to practical tests of domain state and paleomagnetic stability; another deals with pseudo-single-domain magnetism, that is, particles that contain domain walls but behave like a single domain. The final four chapters place magnetism in the context of igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic, and extraterrestrial rocks. This book will bc of value to graduate students and researchers in geophysics and geology, particularly in paleomagnetism and rock magnetism, as well as physicists and electrical engineers interested in fine-particle magnetism and magnetic recording.