Preliminary rock magnetic study of archeomagnetic samples

Author related the: mineral magnetic properties of some archeological sampl es to the quality of the paleointensity data that they; produce. Therefore, the mineral magnetic properties of the samples (potsherds, bricks, baked c lays ets.) were investigated using several techniques, including susceptibi lity variations from low temperature (about - 200 degrees C) to room temper ature, Curie temperature, hysteresis measurements and so on. The results sh ow: the magnetite was identified as the predominant carrier of magnetizatio n in the samples; those samples can produce high-quality paleointensity dat a obtained by Thellier method of stepwise thermal demagnetization.