Description / Table of Contents: 1 Introduction2 Magnetic properties of solids -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Basic magnetic properties -- 2.3 Hysteresis -- 2.4 Effects of crystal size, shape and structure -- 2.5 Time dependence of magnetisation -- 2.6 Grain interactions -- 2.7 Summary -- Further reading -- 3 Natural magnetic minerals -- 3.1 Iron and its abundance -- 3.2 Iron oxides -- 3.3 Pyrrhotite and the iron sulphides -- 3.4 Iron hydroxides and oxyhydroxides -- 3.5 Other magnetic minerals -- 3.6 Formation of natural magnetic minerals -- 3.7 Summary -- Further reading -- 4 Magnetic properties of natural materials -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Units -- 4.3 Magnetic remanence -- 4.4 Magnetic susceptibility -- 4.5 Anisotropy of susceptibility -- 4.6 Magnetic hysteresis -- 4.7 General magnetic properties of natural materials -- 4.8 Temperature dependence of magnetic properties -- 4.9 Summary -- Further reading -- 5 The Earth’s magnetic field -- 5.1 Geomagnetism -- 5.2 Palaeomagnetism -- 5.3 Summary -- Further reading -- 6 Techniques of magnetic measurements -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Measurement of remanent magnetisation -- 6.3 Measurement of initial susceptibility -- 6.4 Measurement of induced magnetisation -- 6.5 Magnetic cleaning techniques -- 6.6 Magnetic fields -- 6.7 Portable instruments -- 6.8 A basic environmental magnetic kit -- 6.9 Summary -- Further reading -- 7 Magnetic minerals and environmental systems -- 7.1 Surface processes and magnetic minerals -- 7.2 Primary and secondary magnetic minerals -- 7.3 Magnetic minerals and material flux -- 7.4 Natural remanence and mineral magnetic properties -- 7.5 Sampling and measurement -- 7.6 Summary -- 8 Soil magnetism -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Magnetic properties of soil minerals -- 8.3 Weathering and magnetic properties -- 8.4 The magnetic enhancement of surface soils -- 8.5 Particle size relationships -- 8.6 Some representative soil profiles -- 8.7 The effects of gleying on magnetic properties -- 8.8 Soil magnetism and slope processes -- 8.9 The persistence of magnetic oxides in the soil -- 8.10 Soil magnetism and archaeology -- 8.11 Conclusions -- 9 Magnetic minerals and fluvial processes -- 9.1 Introduction -- 9.2 Suspended sediment sources -- 9.3 Magnetic tagging and tracing of stream bedload -- 9.4 Magnetic measurements of stormwatersuspended solids -- 9.5 Conclusions -- 10 Mineral magnetic studies of lake sediments -- 10.1 Lake sediments and environmental reconstruction -- 10.2 The origin of magnetic minerals in lake sediments -- 10.3 Sampling and measurement -- 10.4 Prospecting, core correlation and sediment accumulation rates -- 10.5 Sediment resuspension and focusing -- 10.6 Sediment sources and ecological change -- 10.7 Magnetic measurements and fire -- 10.8 Lake sediment magnetism and climatic change -- 10.9 Summary and conclusions -- 11 Magnetic minerals in the atmosphere -- 11.1 Introduction -- 11.2 Sources of magnetic minerals in the atmosphere -- 11.3 Magnetic properties and aerosol modes -- 11.4 Magnetic-heavy metal linkages -- 11.5 Peat magnetism and the history of atmospheric particulate deposition -- 11.6 Contemporary particulate pollution monitoring -- 11.7 Magnetic particulates in ice and snow -- 11.8 Global dust studies -- 11.9 Summary and conclusions -- 12 Mineral magnetism in marine sediments -- 12.1 Introduction -- 12.2 The origin and flux of marine magnetic minerals -- 12.3 Core correlation in marine sediments -- 12.4 Mineral magnetism and palaeoclimate in deep-sea sediments -- 12.5 Particulate pollution monitoring in coastal waters -- 12.6 Summary and conclusions -- 13 Reversal magnetostratigraphy -- 13.1 Introduction -- 13.2 Geomagnetic signatures -- 13.3 The geomagnetic polarity timescale -- 13.4 Polarity transitions -- 13.5 Summary -- 14 Secular variation magnetostratigraphy -- 14.1 Introduction -- 14.2 Experimental methods -- 14.3 Magnetic dating and magnetostratigraphy -- 14.4 Origin of palaeolimnomagnetic secular variation -- 14.5 Palaeomagnetic pitfalls -- 14.6 Excursions and the reinforcement syndrome -- 14.7 Summary -- 15 Biomagnetism -- 15.1 Introduction -- 15.2 Magnetic navigation -- 15.3 Pneumomagnetism -- 15.4 Cardiomagnetism -- 15.5 Neuromagnetism -- 15.6 Summary -- 16 The Rhode River, Chesapeake Bay, an integrated catchment study -- 16.1 Physical setting -- 16.2 Sediment sources -- 16.3 Study aims -- 16.4 Methods -- 16.5 The magnetic mineralogy of the Rhode River catchment -- 16.6 Suspended sediment samples -- 16.7 Estuarine sediment cores: mineral magnetic characteristics -- 16.8 Chronology and links with land-use change -- 16.9 Summary and implications -- 17 Prospects -- 17.1 Palaeomagnetism of recent sediments -- 17.2 The mineral magnetic approach -- Glossary of magnetic terms -- References.