Instruments
Menu
Shielded room
The largest instrument in our laboratory has actually the aspect of a room. All the equipment focused on studying the NRM of rocks using demagnetization procedures is located in a shielded room (Lodestar Magnetics), in order to protect the studied materials from the influence of the current Earth's Magnetic Field. In the interior of this room (13 x 11 feet in area) the field is below 350 nT.
Cryogenic magnetometer
Three-axis Superconducting Rock Magnetometer (SRM) model 755 (2G Enterprises)
Equipped with a liquid Helium cooling system in order to keep the superconductive properties of the SQUID sensors, it allows to measure in a sensitivity range of 0.001 mA/m.
Its single sample manual holder allows to work with standard paleomagnetic specimens, either cylindrical (21 x 25 mm) or cubic.
Vibrating Sample Magnetometer
MicroMag VSM model 3900 (Princeton Measurements Corporation)
Allows to apply large magnetic fields in order to produce an induced or remanent magnetization in both powdered samples and small chips. The field can be applied in two opposite directions and samples can be rotated along a vertical axis for anisotropy inferring.
Possible experiments include: hysteresis loops, IRM acquisition curves, direct current demagnetizations (backfields), first order reversal curves (FORCs), etc.
Additional furnace and cryostat devices are available and allow to investigate the variations of magnetization with respect to temperature in a range between around -268oC (5K, sample is refrigerated with liquid He in the cryostat device) and 700oC, and so to detect temperature transitions in the sample's magnetic behavior.
Thermal demagnetizers
Single and double chamber field-free ovens, TD48 Models (ASC), with a maximum capacity for around 48 standard specimens per camera.
TD48 Model
Double chamber oven allows to process two boats of specimens simultaneously (heating and cooling, respectively).
TD48-SC Model
Single chamber oven incorporates a sealed chamber that allows to maintain a controlled argon atmosphere during heating-cooling cycle.
It is equipped with coils and a supply device to generate a controlled field during the demagnetization (as used in paleointensity experiments). The applied field is monitored with a Schonstedt single axis fluxgate magnetometer.
Spinner magnetometer
JR-6 Dual Speed Magnetometer (AGICO Inc.)
Measurements are based on the current induced in a pickup coil by the specimen while it spins.
Slow-speed mode allows to measure higher magnetic moments, and thus to complement the variability of measured lithologies.
AF demagnetizer
D-2000 Alternating Field demagnetizer (ASC Enterprises)
Computer controlled, it applies peak AF fields from 0 to 200 mT. Larger DC fields can be applied in partial ARM experiments.
Kappabridge susceptometer
KLY-3S Kappabridge sucep-tometer (AGICO Inc.)
Allows measuring anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) in samples with standard paleomagnetic size, by changing the sample position only three times (holder rotates along one axis).
It provides a range of sensitivity of 5x10-8 SI, automatic selection of measuring range and automatic zeroing.
CS-3 Furnace and CS-L Cryostat
The device can be equipped with both furnace and cryostat devices that allow to record susceptibility variations with respect to temperature in a small amount of powdered sample. A range of temperatures between -193oC and 0oC (cryostat) and room temperature and 700oC (furnace) can be investigated in each sample by combining runs from the two devices.
High temperature measurements can be performed in a controlled agon atmosphere.
Pulse magnetizer
IM-10-30 Impulse Magnetizer (ASC Scientific) equipped with interchangeable coils
Electric discharge from the coils allow to generate a magnetic field (in a unique direction) able to magnetize standard samples under maximum field of 2.7T (and smaller samples up to a maximum field of 5T).
Useful in Lowrie tests and high-field anisotropy experiments (when combined with holders that permit sample rotation).
Drill press
JET drill press adapted for drilling block-size samples for paleomagnetic purposes by ASC Scientific.
Equipped with an adjustable clamp to keep the orientation of the block sample while drilling, a water cycle to refrigerate during coring and stainless-steel drill bits with the standard diameter of paleomagnetic samples.