The temperature at which certain magnetic materials undergo a sharp change in their magnetic properties. In the case of rocks and minerals, rem anent magnetism appears below the Curie point—about 570 °C (1,060 °F) for the common magnetic mineral magnetite.
For example, 770 °C (1,418 °F) for iron—atoms that behave as tiny magnets spontaneously align themselves in certain magnetic materials. In ferromagnetic materials, such as pure iron, the atomic magnets are oriented within each microscopic region (domain) in the same direction, so that their magnetic fields reinforce each other. In anti ferromagnetic materials, atomic magnets alternate in opposite directions, so that their magnetic fields cancel each other. In ferromagnetic materials, the spontaneous arrangement is a combination of both patterns, usually involving two different magnetic atoms, so that only partial reinforcement of magnetic fields occurs.
