No other geophysical technique provides better regional information than potential fields, which measures the density and magnetism of the subsurface.  Magnetism is an invaluable tool for natural resource exploration, especially where surface exposure is poor. It is the most cost-effective geophysical method and helps define both shallow and deep bodies. The low cost of this methodology allows for extensive data coverage and is the ideal basis for structural mapping.  While not as cost effective as magnetics, gravity measures the variation in density of the subsurface, and helps estimate the mass of a target. 

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The interpretation of magnetic data is very important to geological interpretation. Enhanced processing and image quality, and the availability of a range of robust inversion software designed to invert the data in 1D, 2D and 3D have enhanced and favored the magnetic prospecting technique and made it an effective tool for litho-structural mapping in general and mining exploration in particular.

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Structural complexity maps, or ‘heat maps’, are used to identify and analyze magnetic lineaments, including the identification of zones with a high density of lineaments and lineament intersections, and changes in the orientation of the lineaments. These zones can be associated with hydrothermal alterations and conduits, and pathways for hydrothermal mineralized fluids.  Analysis of these maps are of great interest for the exploration and targeting of base metal, hydrothermal and precious metal deposits.

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At Platform Geoscience, we understand both the power and the limitations of working with gravity and magnetics.  We use inversion as an interpretive aid to fully extract the most from a dataset, rather than trying to provide an ambiguous final answer.