The paleomagnetic record in carbonaceous chondrites - Natural remanence and magnetic properties

Recent results of an intensive study of the natural remanence (NRM) and the magnetic properties of carbonaceous chondrites (CC) are summarized. It is convincingly demonstrated that the record of ancient magnetic fields has been preserved in these least-altered old samples of solar system material known. Intensities of specific NRM in the 13 meteorites surveyed span a broad range of values from 0.00005 to 0.5 emu/g. A low-temperature cleaning technique, based on the memory effect in magnetite grains, was followed by alternating field (af) demagnetization of the residual memory to exhibit the relative stability of NRM in the CC studied. No systematic correlation was found of either intensity or stability of NRM to af demagnetization with petrologic subtype, beyond a trend of increasing stability of memory from petrologic subtype C2 to subtype C4. The intensity and stability behavior of the saturation remanence are better suited for use in a magnetic classification of CC.