Magnetite grain shape fabric and distribution anisotropy vs rock magnetic fabric: a three-dimensional case study

Shape fabric and distribution anisotropy of magnetite grains in a highly ferromagnetic (s.l.) syenite are determined for three mutually perpendicular planes on about 600 magnetite grains. The grains are lenticular with an average aspect ratio of about 2.0. Their preferred orientation, determined by the inertia tensor method, is consistent with the principal directions of the magnetic susceptibility ellipsoid and the axial ratios of the magnetic fabric ellipses are very close to those of the shape fabric ellipses (e.g. 1.41 and 1.39 in the section plane perpendicular to the magnetic foliation and parallel to the magnetic lineation). The anisotropic wavelet transform can detect and quantify the anisotropic distribution of the magnetite grains which are located interstitially along the feldspar grain boundaries. This anisotropic distribution has no noticeable effect on the rock’s anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), since only a few percent of grains are close enough to interact magnetically. Therefore, it is realistic to consider that the AMS of ferromagnetic granitic rocks originates mainly from the shape fabric of anisotropic magnetite grains and a close correlation between the magnetic fabric and the magnetite grain shape fabric is expected.