TY - JOUR
T1 - Magnetic properties of the Old Crow tephra
T2 - Identification of a complex iron titanium oxide mineralogy
AU - Lagroix, France
AU - Banerjee, Subir K.
AU - Jackson, Michael J
PY - 2004/1/10
Y1 - 2004/1/10
N2 - The mineralogy and grain-size distribution of the Fe-Ti oxide population of the Old Crow tephra bed, outcropping at the Halfway House loess deposit in central Alaska, are characterized through multiple low- and high-temperature magnetization experiments. The characterization is facilitated by heavy liquid separation of the bulk sample into a low-density (<2850 kg/m3, LD) and high-density (≥2850 kg/m3, HD) fraction. Three phases of the magnetite-ulvöspinel solid solution series, Fe3-x TixO4, X = 0, 0.1, and 0.3 are identified along with one phase of the ilmenite-hematite solid solution series, Fe2-y TiyO3, y = 0.83. All four phases are present in both density separates, where coarser grains dominate the HD sample and finer more oxidized grains dominate in the LD sample. Low-temperature frequency dependence and field dependence of both the in-phase and quadrature components of magnetic susceptibility are found particularly useful in identifying the magnetic ordering temperature of titanohematite phases with y > 0.8 and may play an equally important role as magnetic indicator of titanomagnetite. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of low-temperature magnetism to locate a 1 mm thick tephra bed dispersed in loess over 10 cm depth, through the identification of very low concentrations of a titanohematite phase with y = 0.9. The potential for advancing regional correlation of sedimentary deposits through the identification of Fe-Ti oxides common to tephra beds by low-temperature magnetism is illustrated in this study.
AB - The mineralogy and grain-size distribution of the Fe-Ti oxide population of the Old Crow tephra bed, outcropping at the Halfway House loess deposit in central Alaska, are characterized through multiple low- and high-temperature magnetization experiments. The characterization is facilitated by heavy liquid separation of the bulk sample into a low-density (<2850 kg/m3, LD) and high-density (≥2850 kg/m3, HD) fraction. Three phases of the magnetite-ulvöspinel solid solution series, Fe3-x TixO4, X = 0, 0.1, and 0.3 are identified along with one phase of the ilmenite-hematite solid solution series, Fe2-y TiyO3, y = 0.83. All four phases are present in both density separates, where coarser grains dominate the HD sample and finer more oxidized grains dominate in the LD sample. Low-temperature frequency dependence and field dependence of both the in-phase and quadrature components of magnetic susceptibility are found particularly useful in identifying the magnetic ordering temperature of titanohematite phases with y > 0.8 and may play an equally important role as magnetic indicator of titanomagnetite. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of low-temperature magnetism to locate a 1 mm thick tephra bed dispersed in loess over 10 cm depth, through the identification of very low concentrations of a titanohematite phase with y = 0.9. The potential for advancing regional correlation of sedimentary deposits through the identification of Fe-Ti oxides common to tephra beds by low-temperature magnetism is illustrated in this study.
KW - Frequency and amplitude dependence of AC susceptibility
KW - Ilmenite-hematite and magnetite-ulvospinel solid solution series
KW - Low-temperature magnetism
KW - Stratigraphic correlation
KW - Tephra
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=2542465078&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=2542465078&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:2542465078
SN - 2169-9313
VL - 109
SP - B01104 1-12
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
IS - 1
ER -