A series of laboratory experiments were conducted in an effort to understand why magnetic field gradient survey techniques failed to detect hearths at a prehistoric archaeological site in southern California. The study used various methods of environmental magnetism to examine the effects of exposing soil samples to a temperature of 650 C over a period 26 h. Results of the study indicate that the failure was associated with a reduction in soil magnetic susceptibility to below background levels within hearth soils. This reduction was due to high-temperature transformation of iron oxides from a highly magnetic form to a relatively non-magnetic form. The reduction in susceptibility is thought to have proceeded via the oxidation of primary (lithogenic) magnetite, Fe 3 O 4 to maghemite, Fe 2 O 4 followed by the inversion of maghemite to haematite, Fe 2 O 4 . The study suggests that in some instances high temperature inversion can reduce the proportion of ferrimagnetic minerals within a hearth to below initial concentrations (resulting in a negative magnetic field gradient anomaly, the opposite of what is normally expected). A field experiment was also conducted to determine what soil temperatures might be achieved 2 cm beneath a hearth.The experiment recorded temperatures ranging from approximately 400 C to 650 C, with an average temperature of about 470 C. Soil colour changes and magnetic susceptibility enhancement observed at the conclusion of the field experiment indicate that these temperatures were sufficient to activate some mineralogical changes, possibly including inversion to haematite. The implications of high temperature inversion to archaeological prospection are discussed, as is a potential archaeological application.

Recent studies of known lightning impacts and laboratory testing of samples from a suspected lightning-induced anomalyappearingin magnetic surveydata allowusto characterize these formerly enigmatic responses. Remanent magnetization associated with the current path of a lightning discharge produces strong anomalies that can be recognized in magnetic survey data, and can be identified positively usinglaboratory methods

Techniques of environmental magnetism were used to examine soil samples from a North American archaeological site in an effort to determine the source of magnetic field gradient anomalies. Testing revealed the source of one anomaly to be lightning-induced remanent magnetization (LIRM). This anomaly had initially been identified as a possible archaeological feature, but excavations were unable to identify a visible source. LIRM appears to be a relatively common source of anomalous signal on archaeological sites, and may often be misinterpreted in magnetic imagery. Thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) was also documented and quantified in soil from archaeological hearths at the site, as were changes in the ferrimagnetic mineral concentration and coercivity spectra resulting from high-temperature enhancement within the hearths.

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