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Susceptibility

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Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Low-field magnetic susceptibility; Magnetic susceptibility

Definition

Magnetic susceptibility. The ratio of the magnetization induced in a sample to the inducing (magnetizing) field.

Volume susceptibility. Magnetic susceptibility expressed as susceptibility per unit volume (κ), dimensionless in SI units.

Mass magnetic susceptibility. Mass-normalized susceptibility (χ) equal to volume susceptibility divided by the density of the sample, in SI units of m3/kg.

Introduction

Magnetic susceptibility quantifies the degree to which a substance can be magnetized in a weak magnetic field similar to that of the Earth’s field – i.e., 5–100 μT (microteslas) – (Banerjee, 1981). This is an easily measured property that is commonly used to assess the concentration of magnetic materials in a sample. Magnetic susceptibility, however, depends not only on the concentration of magnetic grains but also on the composition (magnetic mineralogy) and size of those grains. Grain size refers to the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology and Earth Science, Minnesota State University Moorhead, 1104 7th Avenue South, Moorhead, MN, 56563, USA

    Rinita A. Dalan

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  1. Rinita A. Dalan
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Correspondence to Rinita A. Dalan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

    Allan S. Gilbert

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Dalan, R.A. (2017). Susceptibility. In: Gilbert, A.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_170

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