Yale Paleomagnetic Facility

Established in 2005, the Yale Paleomagnetic Laboratory includes a three-layer Lodestar magnetostatic shield attenuating the ambient magnetic field to <300nT throughout a walk-in working space, a cryogenic DC-SQuID magnetometer with automated sample-changing device capable of performing three-axis measurements on 180 samples successively between user computer inputs, three shielded ASC furnaces with controlled-atmosphere capability (one with auxiliary magnetic coil for paleointensity experiments), in-line automated two-axis static alternating-field (AF) coils and separate Molspin tumbler AF demagnetizer, in-line automated rock-magnetic apparatuses including an isothermal-remanent magnetization (IRM) pulse coil and bulk susceptibility bridge, and an AGICO KLY-4S anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) system with attachments for measuring bulk susceptibility through the temperature range 100-1000°K.

This facility was constructed using funds from the National Science Foundation and Yale University.  It is a member of the RAPID consortium of paleomagnetic laboratories with automated sample-changing systems designed by Prof. Joe Kirschvink at Caltech.

See also:  Yale Archaeomagnetism Laboratory, which contains a two-layer Lodestar shield, AGICO spinner magnetometer, ASC furnace, and a Princeton Measurements alternating-gradient magnetometer for generating hysteresis loops and FORC diagrams.

Links:

     Current, and previous, students and postdocs

     Visitors to the laboratory