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Second‐order magnetic phase transition in the Earth
Author(s) -
Kiss J.,
Szarka L.,
Prácser E.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl024199
Subject(s) - earth's magnetic field , condensed matter physics , ferrimagnetism , geophysics , paramagnetism , magnetic susceptibility , phase transition , geology , geothermal gradient , phase (matter) , curie , magnetic field , ferromagnetism , curie temperature , physics , magnetization , quantum mechanics
It is known that second‐order magnetic phase transition, the transition between ferromagnetic (ferrimagnetic) and paramagnetic states of the material at the Curie temperature, is accompanied by a sharp (theoretically infinite) enhancement of the magnetic susceptibility. A second‐order magnetic phase transition within the Earth (usually at mid‐crustal depths, depending on geothermal conditions and on the type of magnetic material) is assumed to produce extremely high susceptibility zones of a thickness of a few hundreds of meters. Such strongly magnetized zones may be sources of well‐known but not‐yet explained geomagnetic anomalies, and at the same time, they may produce complicated electrical conductivity anomalies, as well. The second‐order magnetic phase transition should be taken into account as one of the possible sources of geomagnetic and magnetotelluric anomalies.