Samples from glacial varves were obtained by cutting cubes and by pushing plastic cubical containers into the seiment. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility results show that the mean angular difference in the kmax direction can be altered by 32¿ by pushing in the sample containers in a north to south versus an east to west direction. The values of lineation and Q are raised or lowered dependent upon the direction of push and the original fabric direction.

Mean remanence directions can deviate by as much as 43¿ in a single clay layer dependent upon the direction in which the sample containers are inserted into the sediment. Corresponding changes in mean intensity of the remanence also demonstrate that the remanence has been affected by pushing in sample containers. The overall results underline the need to adopt trustworthy procedures for the sampling of soft sediments deposited by settling and traction.