Paleomagnetism of the moon and meteorites

Magnetization, with varying degrees of stability and probable origins, is a ubiquitous property of lunar and meteoritic materials and of the lunar crust in general, as deduced from orbital surveys. Paleomagnetic investigations of these materials and of planetary surfaces attempt to determine the nature of the magnetizing process and to characterize the magnetizing fields with consequent implications for the histories of the early solar system, meteorite parent bodies, and the moon. During the period 1979–1982, progress toward achieving these goals has been made although fundamental problems remain. In the following, most of the relevant results published in english‐language journals are specifically discussed; inevitably, inadvertent omissions of some contributions may occur for which we apologize. The bibliography is intended to be complete and up‐to‐date through August 1982. For more general but less recent reviews of meteoritic and lunar paleomagnetism, the reader is referred to Nagata (1979c) and Hood (1981a), respectively.