Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Open Access Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Geophysics (MS)
Administrative Home Department
Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Advisor 1
Aleksey Smirnov
Committee Member 1
Chad Deering
Committee Member 2
Jeremy Shannon
Abstract
The magnetic properties of the ~1.88 Ga Vulcan Iron Formation and Felch Formation were investigated from samples taken from three drill cores through the Felch Trough, north of Iron Mountain, MI. The conducted analyses included measurements of natural remanent magnetization, magnetic hysteresis, first order reversal curves, magnetic anisotropy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron dispersive spectroscopy. The data is compared to the results of a previous magnetic characterization study conducted on surface outcrop samples on two members of the Vulcan formation, the Curry and Traders members, near Iron Mountain, MI. Two distinct members of the Vulcan Formation were identified in the core samples that correlated to the members from the surface samples. While there were some similarities between the surface and core samples, the core samples presented higher magnetic susceptibilities by 1-2 orders of magnitude as well as a lower ratio of hematite to magnetite than the surface samples. The discrepancy may be due to the oxidation of magnetite to hematite by surface weathering. The obtained results, particularly the higher magnetic susceptibility, will be useful for interpretation of data collected by an aeromagnetic survey conducted in the area by the USGS.
Recommended Citation
Rigdon, Adren, "Magnetic Characterization of Iron Formations from drill cores near Iron Mountain, Michigan", Open Access Master's Thesis, Michigan Technological University, 2019.