RESEARCH METHOD
Magnetic susceptibility
Magnetic properties of sediment as proxies for pedogenesis, burning and material inputs.
01
What the method shows
Changes in magnetic properties of soil and sediment through profiles or space.
How we use it in HEL
At Wenceslas Square, magnetic susceptibility is one independent line of evidence combined with geochemistry, grain size and stable isotopes.
02
How the method works
Magnetic susceptibility expresses how strongly a material responds to a weak applied magnetic field. It depends on the concentration, type and grain size of magnetic minerals, which may form or change through pedogenesis, heating or inputs of different material.
Profiles can rapidly show contrasts between units, while spatial surveys can map zones with different magnetic properties. Because archaeological enhancement may have several causes, comparable sample volume, moisture and grain-size conditions are important.
High susceptibility may be consistent with burning or stronger pedogenesis, but it is not automatic proof of either. Context and agreement with other data determine meaning.
pXRF, grain size, micromorphology and stratigraphy.
03
In practice
- Input / materialsoil or sediment; laboratory or in-situ measurement depending on workflow
- Scale / resolutionsample, profile or spatial grid
- Sampling / preparationcomparable volume and moisture conditions where possible
- Typical outputdepth trends, maps and comparison with geochemistry
04
Limits and control
We interpret it in stratigraphic context and alongside other measurements, not as a stand-alone proof of a specific activity.
Wenceslas Square
05
References and HEL studies
Selected studies underpinning the method descriptions and examples used by Human Earth Lab.