UAV magnetics over the Bjerkreim-Sokndal Intrusion, Rogaland, Norway: A first look

Abstract

The Bjerkreim-Sokndal layered intrusion in Rogaland Anorthosite Province in southwestern Norway has been the focus of decades of research due to its complex geology, the presence of prominent remanent magnetic anomalies, and current economic interest in critical minerals. In 2021, collaborative geophysical fieldwork was conducted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology. Despite challenging environmental conditions, more than 100 line-km of magnetic data were collected by a custom multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) along the eastern margin of the Bjerkreim lobe of the Bjerkreim-Sokndal Intrusion. Data collection was focused over two areas. The first is an area in the south near the prominent Heskestad magnetic anomaly that is associated with large reversed magnetic remanence in a magnetite-ilmenite-gabbronorite unit. The second is an area in the north near Lake Teksevatnet that hosts mineralized zones and the Lauvneset magnetic anomaly. Initial analysis of the UAV-acquired magnetic data shows additional details on the geologic contacts of key units, especially where in-situ measurements are difficult to collect. UAV surveys help in the construction of an anomaly's geometry through incremental source-sensor separations at various flight altitudes above ground. The UAV data set is an intermediate step between ground and airborne surveys for multiscale interpretation and potentially extreme magnetic scales (from microscopic to planetary).