Magnetic properties of the Chelyabinsk meteorite: Preliminary results

• Published in: Geochemistry international 2013-07, Vol.51 (7), p.568-574
• Main Authors: Bezaeva, N. S., Badyukov, D. D., Nazarov, M. A., Rochette, P., Feinberg, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chondrites; Coercive force; Controlled atmospheres; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Geochemistry; Lithology; Magnetic properties; Magnetism; Magnetization; Meteorites; Meteors & meteorites; Mineralogy; Petrology
• ISSN: 0016-7029; 1556-1968
• DOI: 10.1134/S0016702913070082

This paper presents the distribution of magnetic susceptibility, χ 0 , in fragments of the Chelyabinsk ordinary chondrite (LL5, S4, W0, fall of February 15, 2013) from the collection of the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, and results obtained by standard magnetic techniques for the meteorite material, including thermomagnetic analysis, measurements of natural remanent magnetization (NRM) and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM), as well as the spectra of their alternating field demagnetization at amplitudes up to 170 mT, measurements of hysteresis loops and back-field remanence demagnetization curves at temperatures from 10 K to 700°C etc. The mean logχ 0 values for the light-colored (main) lithology of the meteorite material and impact-melt breccia from our collection are 4.54 ± 0.10 ( n = 66) and 4.65 ± 0.09 ( n = 38) (×10 −9 m 3 /kg), respectively. According to international magnetic classification of meteorites, Chelyabinsk falls within the range of LL5 chondrites. The mean metal content was estimated from the saturation magnetization, M s , of the light- and dark-colored lithologies as 3.7 and 4.1 wt %, respectively. Hence, the dark lithology is richer in metal. The metal grains are multidomain at room temperature and show low coercive force, B c (75 K. In the temperature range below 75 K, magnetic properties are controlled by chromite; the magnetic hardness of the samples is maximal at 10 K and equals to 606 and 157 mT for the light- and dark-colored lithologies, respectively.