Magnetite: Behavior near the Single-Domain Threshold

Maximum values for the single-domain threshold d(0) and superpara-magnetic threshold d(8) in pure magnetite are found to be 570+/-50 and 350+/-50 angstroms, respectively. Particles larger than do but smaller than about 0.25 micron have size-dependent saturation remanences and coercive forces like those of multidomain particles, but intense and stable thermoremanent magnetization like that of single-domain particles. The presence of magnetite grains in this size range could account for the essentially single-domain character of stable natural remanence in many volcanic and intrusive rocks.