High-Resolution AeroMagnetic (HRAM) data 

Example 2 – The power of HRAM data vs. non-HRAM for mapping in sedimentary rocks

The example shows the power of increased line spacing and decreased flight height for mapping sedimentary magnetic anomalies. Each image is over the same area, showing an anticlinal fold in sedimentary rocks of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

[click to enlarge]

The first image was produced from an aeromagnetic survey with a flight line spacing of 800m, and a flight height of 1525m above sea level (barometric, this equates to a variable terrain clearance of 150->500m). Compare this to the next image, which shows data collected with a flight line spacing of 400m and a flight height of 120m, draped above ground level (data courtesy of Fugro Airborne). The improved sampling interval and distance to source means that there is much more high-frequency geologic information in the resulting grid. The anomaly produced at the contact of the pink and pale blue geologic formations is better defined, with higher amplitude and more spatial resolution. There are also many anomalies relating to bedrock geology and shallow channel sources that are totally absent in the first image.

The ability to fly closer to the ground, and with tighter line spacing, allows HRAM surveys to collect data containing anomalies that can be related to shallow sedimentary geology. By going to super-HRAM surveys, even more information can be determined from the data and images.

Example 1 – The effect of increased line spacing on magnetic data quality for interpretation.

Example 3 – The causes of magnetic anomalies within the sedimentary section

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