Comparison of the temperature dependence of irreversible and reversible magnetization of basalt samples

Thermomagnetic curves are commonly used to characterize the magneto-mineralogy of basaltic rocks. It helps particularly for pre-selection of samples for paleointensity, studies. However, the temperature dependence of the total magnetization is often different to the behavior of the remanence carriers. It is therefore of advantage to apply a new method to measure simultaneously the reversible and irreversible magnetization part. The method is based on a modified version of the Variable Field Translation Balance (VFTB). It is shown that the temperature dependence of the remanence carriers may be distinctly different to the total magnetization as seen in ordinary thermomagnetic curves. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.