Magnetism is important in environmental studies for several reasons, the two most fundamental being that most substances exhibit some form of magnetic behavior, and that iron is one of the most common elements in the Earth's crust. Once sequestered in a suitable material, magnetic particles constitute a natural archive of conditions existing in former times. Magnetism provides a tracer of paleo-climatic and paleo-environmental conditions and processes. "Environmental Magnetism" details the occurrence and uses of magnetic materials in the natural environment. The first half of the volume describes the basic principles. The second half discusses the applications of magnetic measurements in various environmental settings on land, in lakes, in the ocean, and even various biological organisms. The key features: material is broadly applicable to environmental studies; case histories illustrate key points; and, extensive bibliography makes further research quick and easy.
Preface
Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.1 Prospectus
1.2 An example
1.3 Scope of the subject
Chapter 2 - Basic Magnetism
2.1 Diamagnetism, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism
2.2 Magnetic susceptibility
2.3 Magnetic hysteresis
2.4 Grain-size effects
2.5 Summary of magnetic parameters and terminology
2.6 Enviromagnetic parameters
2.7 Magnetic units
2.8 Putting it all together
Chapter 3 - Enviromagnetic Minerals
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Iron oxides
3.3 Iron oxyhydroxides
3.4 Iron sulphides
3.5 Iron carbonate
3.6 Some examples
3.7 Room-temperature biplots
Chapter 4 - Measurement and Techniques
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Measurement of magnetic parameters
4.3 Magnetic parameters used in environmental studies
4.4 Magnetic parameters unmixed
Chapter 5 - Processes and Pathways
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Soils and paleosols
5.3 Marine sediments
5.4 Rivers and lakes
Chapter 6 - Time
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Temporal characteristics of the geomagnetic field
6.3 Oxygen isotope stratigraphy
6.4 Milankovitch cycles
Chapter 7 - Magnetoclimatology and Past Global Change
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Loess
7.3 Lake sediments
7.4 Marine sediments
Chapter 8 - Mass Transport
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Dust flux and climate
8.3 Erosion and sediment yield
8.4 Permeating fluids
8.5 Oceanic and atmospheric circulation
Chapter 9 - Magnetism in the Biosphere
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Biomineralization
9.3 Bacterial magnetism
9.4 Other organisms
Chapter 10 - Magnetic Monitoring of Pollution
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Soil contamination
10.3 Rivers, lakes and harbours
10.4 Atmospheric contaminants
10.5 Roadside pollution
10.6 Pneumomagnetism
Chapter 11 - Archaeological and Early Hominid Environments
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Archaeological soils
11.3 Archaeological magnetic prospection surveys
11.4 Economy, industry and art
11.5 Speleomagnetism
11.6 Hominid evolution
Chapter 12 - Our Planetary Magnetic Environment
12.1 Introduction
12.2 The geomagnetic field
12.3 The magnetosphere
Appendix 1
References
Glossary
Michael E. Evans<br/>University of Alberta<br/><br/>Friedrich Heller<br/>Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
"Evans and Heller's latest text book constitutes a welcome update to the 1986 monograph: it is also the first major work on the subject in focus to be co-authored by people based on opposite sides of the Atlantic, which has resulted in a well-balanced, unbiased variety of examples and an extensive reference list."
– Ian F. Snowball, Department of Geology, Lund University, in Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004
"For those active in environmental magnetic research, this book is a 'must-buy'. The authors should be congratulated for providing an excellent subject review in such an accessible, concise and well-presented fashion [...] Would make an excellent purchase for a departmental Library"
– John Walden, University of St Andrews
"The book provides a solid basis on which to construct an introductory course in the unfamiliar area of environmental magnetism [...] provides a rich source for selected material that may be used in other related courses. The book is a comprehensive collection of examples where the measurable properties of the magnetic minerals have been used to answer current questions."
– Ronald Green, Fitzroy, Adelaide, SA, Australia for The Leading Edge (May 2004)