Relationship of magnetic anomalies due to subsurface features and the interpretation of sloping contacts

Abstract

A study of the magnetic anomalies produced by sloping geologic contacts, thin dikes, and horizontal cylinders has revealed that a single relationship exists among the magnetic anomalies created by them. The magnetic anomaly due to a horizontal cylinder, the first horizontal derivative of the magnetic anomaly due to a thin dike, and the second horizontal derivative of the magnetic anomaly due to a sloping contact are found to be identical in shape. Gay (1963, 1965) presented standard curves to interpret the magnetic anomalies over long tabular bodies (1963) and long horizontal cylinders (1965). It is shown here that the same curves can also be used to interpret the total, vertical and horizontal magnetic anomalies due to sloping geologic contacts.