A detailed study has been made of the magnetic properties of four pillow lavas of differing ages from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge crest at 45°N. The pillows show radial variations in grain size and concentration of titanomagnetite due to the initial cooling history, and radial variation in their degree of titanomagnetite oxidation due to low temperature alteration by sea-water. The degree of titanomagnetite alteration not only increases from the interior to the exterior of the pillows, it also increases from the youngest to the oldest. Radial variation in NRM intensity results in average values for the pillows of as little as half the values for the freshest parts. The direction of the original NRM has been maintained throughout the alteration.