Magnetic Anisotropy in Single Crystals: A Review

Empirical relationships between magnetic fabrics and deformation have long served as a fast and efficient way to interpret rock textures. Understanding the single crystal magnetic properties of all minerals that contribute to the magnetic anisotropy of a rock, allows for more reliable and quantitative texture interpretation. Integrating information of single crystal properties with a determination whether or not mineral and magnetic fabrics are parallel may yield additional information about the texture type. Models based on textures and single crystal anisotropies help assess how the individual minerals in a rock contribute to the rock’s anisotropy, and how the individual anisotropy contributions interfere with each other. For this, accurate and reliable single crystal data need to be available. This review paper discusses magnetic anisotropy in single crystals of the most common rock-forming minerals, silicates and carbonates, in relation to their mineralogy and chemical composition. The most important ferromagnetic minerals and their anisotropy are also discussed. This compilation and summary will hopefully lead to a deeper understanding of the sources of magnetic anisotropy in rocks, and improve the interpretation of magnetic fabrics in future structural and tectonic studies.