Ferromagnetic resonance studies of thermal effects on lunar metallic Fe phases

Ferromagnetic resonance results of annealing experiments are discussed which illustrate the thermal effects on lunar metallic iron phases already present in a lunar fines sample. Spectral features of ferromagnetic resonance produced in the sample by heat treatments at temperatures between 600 and 1025 C are described which resemble those detected in lunar breccias and crystalline rocks. A correlation is shown to exist between these features and the degree of thermal metamorphism. It is noted that this correlation can be used as a built-in geothermometer or probe to investigate the thermal history and degree of metamorphism of a lunar sample containing metallic iron phases. The thermal history of a metaclastic rock is analyzed in this way, and it is shown that thermal metamorphism is an effective process for increasing relaxation times or the stability of the natural remanent magnetization carried by single-domain metallic iron particles.