The magnetic anisotropy of rocks: principles, techniques and geodynamic applications in the Italian peninsula

Magnetic anisotropy studies have recently come to the forefront as accurate, fast and inexpensive methods in the investigation of the rock fabric. In this paper we summarize the physical principles and the experimental techniques commonly used to resolve the Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) and the Anisotropy of Anhysteretic Remanence (AAR) tensors, and we give a description of the parameters which usually describe the magnetic anisotropy properties of a rock. A synthetic review of the magnetic fabric studies carried out on sedimentary rocks of the Italian peninsula is also given, discussing the potentiality of this technique in geodynamic studies.