Rocks, fabrics and magnetic anisotropy: an introduction to the issue in honour of Frantisek Hrouda

摘要

All rocks—igneous, sedimentary as well as metamorphic or tectonically deformed—develop a spatial and geometrical arrangement of their constituent minerals commonly referred to as fabric. The genesis of rock fabric, its orientation and intensity can be directly linked to certain geological processes or, on a larger scale, to tectonic phenomena. For this reason, fabric analysis plays a pivotal role in geological investigation. While in some rocks the fabric can be seen with the naked eye, in the others it can be recognized only with the help of instruments and special techniques. A very effective technique, among others, is the analysis of magnetic fabric based on the measurements of anisotropic magnetic properties. Due to its rapidity, accuracy, low cost and non-destructiveness, magnetic fabric analysis has been successfully applied in all branches of earth sciences for more than five decades.