Tilt-depth method: A simple depth estimation method

using first-order magnetic derivatives

Salem, Williams, Fairhead, Ravat, and Smith

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method 1

Outline
1. Introduction
2. Method
3. Theoretical Examples
4. Field Example
5. Conclusions

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method

Introduction
• This paper introduces a new simple method to estimate the
depth of the magnetic source body.
• This method is known as the tilt-depth method.
• It uses contours of the magnetic tilt angle map.
• The magnetic tilt angle is the ratio of the vertical and horizontal
derivatives of the RTP field.

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method

Introduction
This method uses assumptions that :
• The source structures have vertical contact,
• There is no remanent magnetization,
• And, the magnetization is vertical.

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method

Method
This equation indicates the value of the tilt angle above the
The tilt angle was first described by Miller and
contact is 0o (h=0) and equal to 45o when h=z and -45o when h=-
Singh (1994), then refined by Verduzco (2004)
z.
and GETECH and defined as:
This suggests that contours of the magnetic tilt angle can
identify both the location and depth
the equation can be written as:

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method

Theoretical Examples
• The profiles in Figure 1 demonstrate the relationship between the
tilt angle and source depth for a vertical contact model.

• The profile of the tilt angle passes through zero directly over the
contact edge (h=0).

• And passes through the lines marking ±45° at a distance from the
edge equal to the source depth (h=Zc).

Figure 1. The first theoretical examples

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method

Theoretical Examples
• Synthetic magnetic test model containing two vertical-sided prisms.

• Prism A is located at a depth of 4 km and prism B at a depth of 16 km.

• Figure 2b. Shows the magnetic tilt angle map generated from the data shown in Figure
2a

• Dashed lines show the 0o contour of the tilt angle. The region enclosed by the –45 o and
45o contours is grey

• Because the distance between the two 45° contours and the 0° contours are not exactly
equal everywhere around the perimeter of each body, the source depth is roughly
equivalent to half the width of the shaded strip delineating its edge.
Figure 2. The second theoretical examples
(twoprims)

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method

Field Example
- The author demonstrated this method to aeromagnetic
data over Karoo area, southeast Tanzania.

- The Selous Basin is a N-NE trending rift basin.

- It is infilled with up to 10km of mainly nonmagnetic

sediment.

- The regional variation in sediment thickness based on

seismic and well data.

Figure 3. Regional geologic structure of the

study area
GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method
Field Example
- TMI map clearly delineates the rift basin outline by the
shape change in the frequency content of the magnetic
anomalies

- Before applying Tilt-depth method, TMI was converted to

RTP using a magnetic inclination of -40o and declination of -
3.5o. And apply Upward Continuation to a height of 1 km

Figure 4. TMI anomaly map for southeast

Tanzania

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method

Field Example
- Dashed lines show the 0o of the tilt angle.
- Solid lines are contours of the tilt angle for -45o and 45o
- The distance between these contours is approximately
equal to twice the depth of the magnetic source.
- The labeled depth:
- A : 5km F : 3-4km
- B : 5km G : 3-3.5km
- C : 7-8km H : 1-2km
- D : 4km I : 5-6km
- E : 5-6km
- Figure 5. Tilt-depth map only displays the
These depths show a good correspondence with the
contours of -45o,0o,45o
sediment thickness based on seismic and well data.

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method

Conclusion
- The tilt-depth method adds to other methods in use to estimate magnetic source depth.

- This method can delineate the spatial location from the zero contour and can estimate the depth
from the distance between the zero and either 45o/-45o contour or their average.

- The advantages of this method are:

- Its simplicity both in its theoretical derivation and practical application
- It provides both a qualitative and quantitative approach to interpretation
- By virtue of using first-order derivatives, it is less sensitive to noise in the data compared to methods relying on
higher-order derivatives.

GEOP 502 – Potential Theory Method