MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES AND REMANENT MAGNETIZATION OF 4 STONY METEORITES

Magnetic properties of four stony meteorites, namely, Allende, Dhajala and St, Severin (chondrites) and Norton County (achondrite) were stud ied. The intensity of NRM, susceptibility and the Koenigsberger ratio of these meteorites are moderate and in the range of igneous rocks. Sa turation remanent hysteresis experiments of these meteorites reveal hi gh remanent coercive forces, giving them very high retentive capabilit y. A study of susceptibility variation with temperature (in low temper ature region) and the Lowrie-Fuller Test reveals that the magnetic mat erial in these rocks is in a very fine grained form giving high stabil ity to these meteorites, The laboratory demagnetization experiments (A F and thermal) indicate high mdf and blocking temperatures suggest the ir suitability to palaeofield intensity determinations, These magnetic properties which are similar to those of other stony meteorites sugge st that the magnetic mineral in these meteorites is probably tetrataen ite along with other minerals such as troilite, kamacite, magnetite, e tc., with high coercive force and carry a magnetic remanence acquired in an extraterrestrial field.