New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Forgotten Source For Planetary Magnetic Anomalies?

Date:
February 22, 2008
Source:
American Geophysical Union
Summary:
Anorthosites, igneous rocks rich in plagioclase feldspar, are common on the Earth, Moon, and possibly other planets. Though anorthosites are usually not considered to be strongly magnetic, researchers note that their magnetic properties could be useful in investigating mineral deposits in addition to magnetic anomalies on other planets, particularly Mars. Through investigations of three ancient anorthosite bodies in Norway, the authors find that two anorthosites have large natural remanent magnetization signatures, indicating that they contain strong signatures of the Earth's magnetic field direction that was present when the rocks crystallized roughly 1 billion years ago.
Share:
FULL STORY

Anorthosites, igneous rocks rich in plagioclase feldspar, are common on the Earth, Moon, and possibly other planets. Though anorthosites are usually not considered to be strongly magnetic, Brown and McEnroe note that their magnetic properties could be useful in investigating mineral deposits in addition to magnetic anomalies on other planets, particularly Mars.

Through investigations of three ancient anorthosite bodies in Norway, the authors find that two anorthosites have large natural remanent magnetization signatures, indicating that they contain strong signatures of the Earth's magnetic field direction that was present when the rocks crystallized roughly 1 billion years ago.

These signatures are comparable in intensity to those found in freshly crystallized basalts. Microscopic observations reveal that, although only one body contains high levels of magnetite, all three anorthosites contain ilmenite and hematite, which are weakly magnetic minerals.

Previous research suggests that submicroscopic plates of ilmenite with hematite intergrowths interact with each other to amplify magnetic anomalies, causing the authors to conclude that anorthosites can be important sources of magnetic anomalies on Earth and perhaps on other planets.

Journal reference: Magnetic properties of anorthosites: A forgotten source for planetary magnetic anomalies? Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) paper 10.1029/2007GL032522, 2008; http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2007GL032522

Authors: Laurie L. Brown: Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.A.; Suzanne A. McEnroe: Norwegian Geological Society, Trondheim, Norway.


Story Source:

Materials provided by American Geophysical Union. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

American Geophysical Union. "Forgotten Source For Planetary Magnetic Anomalies?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 February 2008. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217093611.htm>.
American Geophysical Union. (2008, February 22). Forgotten Source For Planetary Magnetic Anomalies?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217093611.htm
American Geophysical Union. "Forgotten Source For Planetary Magnetic Anomalies?." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217093611.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES