VSM users – Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG)
The photo was taken during the installation of the VSM and shows Ms. Scheidt and Ms. Wallbrecht from the LIAG and our service engineer Alex Schrenk.
In April 2014, the Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) EZ7 was installed in the magnetics lab “Grubenhagen” at the LIAG in Einbeck, Germany. The VSM features highest sensitivity and short measuring times for the magnetic moment of the sample.
The trip to the Grubenhagen laboratory is an unusual trip to undertake to a renowned research lab. After leaving both the interstate (German Autobahn) and the following highway (German Bundesstrasse), the route continues through villages and settlements with funny names no one outside has ever heard of, until it reaches a forest. First doubts regarding the car navigation system arise as the only possible way to continue is a forest path. This eventually opens into a clearing with an impressive chalet. The chalet is a former hunting lodge of the Welfs, built about 200 years ago in Swiss style. We learned that in the 1960s, this building was deliberately chosen as location for a rock magnetism lab to stay clear of electromagnetic interference from civilization.
Nowadays, laboratories can be kept free of electromagnetic interference by expensive technical precautions like µ-metal shielding, so it is thanks to history that rock magnetism takes place in this picturesque place far off in the woods.
The Grubenhagen laboratory, lead by Dr. Christian Rolf, is part of Hannover-based section 5 of the LIAG - Petrophysics and Borehole Geophysics. This section investigates boreholes and analyses drill cores.
The resulting rock physical parameters allow insights into geological processes of long past eras and conclusions on the climates of the geological past.
One current research project is the Heidelberg Basin drilling project. It strives for findings on processes that took place more than 2.6 million years ago on the Plio-/Pleistocene boundary.
Our VSM completes the Grubenhagen laboratory equipment. It allows insights into the type and grain size of magnetic minerals and their contribution to the magnetization of the rocks. So far, getting information on these parameters had been time-consuming and vague.
The Microsense VSM is a real work horse for nearly every magnetic lab. It features an electromagnet and does not require cryogenic liquids.
