Abstract
The weak ferromagnetism of cassiterite (SnO2) can be attributed to its 1% iron impurity content. Previous workers have postulated two hypothetical iron-tin compounds to explain the magnetism, namely, Fe4/3;Sn2/3O3 and single-phase magnetic Sn1−xFexO2. Our saturation magnetization measurements on large single crystals as a function of temperature show super-paramagnetic Fe2O3 or Fe2−xSnxO3 impurities to be responsible for the weak ferromagnetism. Thermomagnetic curves confirm this interpretation. Contrary to the results of previous workers, no correlation was found between magnetism and the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio, and the observed variability of Curie points is attributed by us to a range of blocking temperatures. More importantly, we suggest that the NRM in cassiterite may be CRM, and hence these crystals are liable to yield incorrect paleointensity values of the geomagnetic field.
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