Susceptometer in soil magnetic susceptibility studies

This work presents a method for measuring the magnetic susceptibility of soil samples based on interactions of magnetic particles contained in a tested sample with a weighed permanent magnet placed in the balance mechanical design. The MYA 2.4Y microbalance manufactured by Radwag Wagi Elektroniczne, Poland, was used to perform mass measurements. The weighing system was adjusted for mass indication using a certified mass standard, and for magnetic susceptibility indication using a certified magnetic susceptibility standard. The volume of each analysed soil sample was 3.93 cm3 and was similar to the volume and the size of the magnetic susceptibility standard. The research was carried out for 10 soil samples with a magnetic susceptibility range varying from 20 to 1600x10-8 m3 kg-1. The soil samples contained technogenic magnetic particles and particles of natural magnetite of geogenic origin. The study was performed for a field of 2 mT.