AbstractElectron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy and calorimetric methods were used to characterize conversion processes in multimineral samples from the Northampton ironstone (NIS) at temperatures between 25°C and 800°C. The beginning of the thermal conversion processes can be determined by the formation of asymmetric ESR spectra with g ≈ 2 at 250°C. The breakdown of the berthierine structure between 250°C and 520°C is indicated by the disappearance of the hyperfine splitting in the Mn2+ spectrum and the formation of magnetite. The decomposition of siderite and calcite was found by calorimetric methods at 580°C and 700°C, respectively. The hematite formation between 550°C and 800°C is explained by the decomposition of siderite but also by the oxidation of previously formed magnetite. The occurrence of hematite as the dominant ferric oxide at 800°C signifies the end of the conversion process of the major mineral phases in the NIS samples.
