The Properties of Thermochemical Remanent Magnetization Acquired by Slow Laboratory Cooling of Titanomagnetite-Bearing Basalt Samples from Different Temperatures and the Results of the Thellier Method

Abstract—The experiments have been carried out on the acquisition of thermochemical remanent magnetization (TCRM) in basalt samples containing titanomagnetite (TM) with the Curie temperature Тс ~200°C by their rapid heating to maximum temperatures Т* from 450 to 530°C followed by slow cooling in the laboratory magnetic field Blab. At different stages of the preliminary thermal treatment of the initial samples, a set of magnetomineralogical studies including electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermomagnetic analyzes, and measurements of magnetic hysteresis parameters were performed. It is shown that as early as the very beginning of the cooling process, all samples demonstrate explosive growth of TCRM corresponding to the stage of rapid single-phase oxidation of the initial titanomagnetite fraction of basalt, and that TCRM is acquired by the increase of Тс and volume of single-phase oxidized parts of TM grains as well as by the growth of the volume of Ti-depleted (relative to the initial TM) cells of microstructure of the subsequent oxidative exsolution. The Arai–Nagata diagrams for the samples carrying TCRM have a form of a broken line consisting of two linear segments. The low-temperature interval T < Т* corresponds to a mixture of thermochemical and thermoremanent (TRM) magnetizations and gives a slightly overestimated Blab because of the effect of a low cooling rate during the acquisition of TCRM and TRM. The high-temperature interval corresponds to pure TCRM and the Blab strength determined from this interval is underestimated by 20–27%. It is recommended to reject samples whose Araii–Nagata diagram has two or more linear segments against the background single-component NRM.

Magnetic characteristics and archeointensity determination on Mesoamerican Pre-Columbian Pottery from Quiahuiztlan, Veracruz, Mexico

We report a detailed archeomagnetic investigation on pre-Columbian potteries from Quiahuiztlan, Veracruz, from ~900 AD to 1521 AD. Archeological samples analyzed by modern magnetic techniques carry a stable univectorial thermoremanent magnetization under alternating field treatment. Continuous low-field susceptibility vs. temperature curves performed in air indicates Ti-poor titanomagnetites as magnetization carriers. Few samples, however, show two ferrimagnetic phases with Curie temperatures compatible with both Ti-poor and Ti-rich titanomagnetites. Hysteresis parameter ratios fall essentially in the pseudo-single-domain region, which may indicate a mixture of multi-domain and a significant amount of single domain grains. Early geomagnetic field intensity determinations using the Coe variant of Thellier method were performed on 90 selected samples. Cooling rate corrected intensity values range from 34.0 ± 1.2 to 62.2 ± 0.2 ?T. Corresponding virtual axial dipole moments (VADM) range from 5.7 to 10.7 x1022 Am2. Absolute intensity curves for Mesoamerica present limited spa-tial/temporal resolution. For tentative dating purposes, we used global archeointensity curves reduced to central and eastern Mexico that permit preliminary dating of Quiahuiztlan potteries. Comparison of our data against those reported in ArcheoInt database allow to identify two periods 900- 1000 and 1400-1600 AD as the most probable manufacturing ranges for the pot- teries studied.