The Thellier Palaeointensity Technique: Minisamples versus Standard Size.

Abstract

Palaeointensities using 3×3mm mini-cylinders and a cryogenic magnetometer have been compared with those using 23×25mm standard cylinders and a spinner magnetometer. When samples satisfy the reliability criteria of both approaches there is good agreement but the proportion of samples rejected is higher in the case of minisamples. One possible reason is that the minisamples are more vulnerable to physico-chemical alteration during laboratory heating, because of their much higher surface to volume ratio.