Magnetic recording medium and magnetic storage apparatus

A magnetic recording medium includes at least a substrate, a recording layer formed of a non-magnetic underlying layer and a ferromagnetic thin film, deposited on the substrate, a sputtered carbon protective layer and a lubricant layer overlying the recording layer. The sputtered carbon protective layer is laminate layer formed by sputtering alternating first and second carbon layers, wherein a Young's modulus in a head pressing direction is twice or more larger than a Young's modulus in a head running direction.In this way, the durability of the magnetic disk can be significantly improved, and consequently, the protective layer can be made extremely thin, so that it can also contribute to an increased recording density.