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The Lake Shore VSM in the Biogeomagnetism Lab measures magnetic properties of natural and synthetic samples. With its capability of generating magnetic fields of up to ~2.5 Tesla, it is a powerful and versatile instrument that allows us to characterize a range of magnetic minerals from geologic materials. We mainly use it to measure families of hysteresis curves named first-order reversal curves, or “FORCs”. FORCs give us information about the abundance, mineralogy, grain size, domain state, and arrangement of magnetic particles in rocks and sediments, as well as about the magnetostatic interactions between them. Using FORCs, we can figure out if there are any magnetic biominerals, such as magnetofossils, in our samples, and quantify their abundance. For technical details and specifications about our system, please consult the 8600 Series VSM Lake Shore webpage.