In a magnetic recording medium, an average thickness t.sub.T is t.sub.T≤5.5 μm, a dimensional variation Δw in a width direction to tension change in a longitudinal direction is 650 ppm/N≤Δw, and a rate of shrinkage in the longitudinal direction is 0.08% or less.

In the magnetic recording medium, a number distribution A of a plurality of bright regions, based on equivalent circle diameters thereof, in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer by a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 5 kV and a number distribution B of a plurality of dark regions, based on equivalent circle diameters thereof, in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer by a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 2 kV respectively satisfy a predetermined number distribution.

A tape-shaped magnetic recording medium includes a base, a nonmagnetic layer that is provided on the base and contains a nonmagnetic powder, and a magnetic layer that is provided on the nonmagnetic layer and contains a magnetic powder. In the magnetic recording medium, the magnetic layer has an average thickness of not more than 90 nm, the magnetic powder has an average aspect ratio of from 1.0 to 3.0, a coercive force Hc1 in a perpendicular direction is not more than 3,000 Oe, the coercive force Hc1 in the perpendicular direction and a coercive force Hc2 in a longitudinal direction satisfy the relation of Hc2/Hc1≤0.8, the nonmagnetic layer has an average thickness of not more than 1.1 μm, and the nonmagnetic powder has an average particle volume of not more than 2.0×10.sup.−5 μm.sup.3.

The magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including a ferromagnetic powder, in which the ferromagnetic powder is an ε-iron oxide powder having an average particle size of 5.0 nm to 16.0 nm, a coercivity Hc in a vertical direction is 1,884 Oe to 3,141 Oe, a ten-point average roughness Rz of a surface of the magnetic layer is 35.0 nm to 45.0 nm, and a ratio Rp/Rz of a maximum peak height Rp of the surface of the magnetic layer to the Rz is 0.25 to 1.00.

A tape-shaped magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; and a magnetic layer that is provided on the substrate and contains a magnetic powder. An average thickness of the magnetic layer is not more than 90 nm, an average aspect ratio of the magnetic powder is not less than 1.0 and not more than 3.0, the coercive force Hc1 in a vertical direction is not more than 3000 Oe, the coercive force Hc1 in the vertical direction and a coercive force Hc2 in a longitudinal direction satisfy a relationship of Hc2/Hc1≤0.8, and a value of σ1.5−σ0.5 is not more than 0.6 N in a tensile test of the magnetic recording medium in the longitudinal direction, where σ0.5 is a load at an elongation rate of 0.5% in the magnetic recording medium and σ1.5 is a load at an elongation rate of 1.5% in the magnetic recording medium.

A method of producing a magnetic powder includes: performing heat treatment on first particles that contain triiron tetraoxide to prepare second particles that contain ε-iron oxide.

[Problem] To provide a method for producing iron based oxide magnetic powder that has a narrow particle size distribution and a small content of fine particles that do not contribute to the magnetic recording characteristics, and consequently has a narrow coercive force distribution and is suitable for the enhancement of the recording density of the magnetic recording medium. [Solution] ε-Type iron based oxide magnetic powder is obtained by a wet method, then a tetraalkylammonium salt as a surface modifier is added to a slurry containing the magnetic powder to make a concentration of 0.009 mol/kg or more and 1.0 mol/kg or less, and simultaneously to make pH of 11 or more and 14 or less, and the slurry is subjected to a dispersion treatment and then classified, so as to provide iron based oxide magnetic powder having a narrow particle size distribution and a narrow coercive force distribution.

A surface-modified iron-based oxide magnetic particle powder has good solid-liquid separation property in the production process, has good dispersibility in a coating material for forming a coating-type magnetic recording medium, has good orientation property, and has a small elution amount of a water-soluble alkali metal, and to provide a method for producing the surface-modified iron-based oxide magnetic particle powder. The surface-modified iron-based oxide magnetic particle powder can be obtained by neutralizing a solution containing dissolved therein a trivalent iron ion and an ion of the metal, by which the part of Fe sites is to be substituted, with an alkali aqueous solution, so as to provide a precursor, coating a silicon oxide on the precursor, heating the precursor to provide e-type iron-based oxide magnetic powder, and adhering a hydroxide or a hydrous oxide of one kind or two kinds of Al and Y thereto.

There is provided an oriented body containing platinum group-substituted-6 iron oxide particles typified by Rh-substituted ε-iron oxide or Ru-substituted ε-iron oxide applicable to MAMR, MIMR, or F-MIMR system, and a technique related thereto, containing platinum group element-substituted ε-iron oxide particles in which a part of ε-iron oxide is substituted with at least one element of platinum group elements, as magnetic particles wherein the degree of orientation of the magnetic particles defined by the degree of orientation=SQ (direction of magnetization easy-axes)/SQ (direction of magnetization hard-axes) exceeds 5.0, and a coercive force exceeds 31 kOe.

Provided is an ε-iron oxide type ferromagnetic powder with a ratio Hc.sub.173K/Hc.sub.296K between a coercive force Hc.sub.173K measured at a temperature of 173 K and a coercive force Hc.sub.296K measured at a temperature of 296 K is higher than 1.00 and less than 2.00, and a magnetic recording medium containing the ε-iron oxide type ferromagnetic powder in a magnetic layer.