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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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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