Magnetic classification of stony meteorites: 1. Ordinary chondrites

We present a database of magnetic susceptibility measurements on 971 ordinary chondrites. It demonstrates that this parameter can be successfully used to characterize and classify ordinary chondrite meteorites. In ordinary chondrites, this rapid and non-destructive measurement essentially determines the amount of metal in the sample, which occurs in a very narrow range for each chondrite class (though terrestrial weathering can result in a variable decrease in susceptibility, especially in finds). This technique is particularly useful not only for a rapid classification of new meteorites, but also as a check against curation errors in large collections (i.e., unweathered meteorites, the measured susceptibility of which lies outside the expected range, may well be misclassified or misidentified samples). Magnetic remanence, related to magnetic field measurements around asteroids, is also discussed.