In a third process, magnetic grains grow during chemical reactions, and record the direction of the magnetic field at the time of their formation. The field is said to be recorded by chemical remanent magnetization (CRM). A common form of chemical remanent magnetization is held by the mineral hematite, another iron oxide. Hematite forms through chemical oxidation reactions of other minerals in the rock including magnetite. Redbeds, clastic sedimentary rocks (such as sandstones) are red because of hematite that formed during sedimentary diagenesis. The CRM signatures in redbeds can be quite useful and they are common targets in magnetostratigraphy studies.
