Estimating the magnetization direction of crustal structures by means of an equivalent source algorithm

The estimation of the direction of the total magnetization vector of a magnetic source is the first step of a reliable modelling of a magnetic anomaly when remanent magnetization is not negligible. We present a new method to obtain the magnetization direction of a crustal body, based on an iterative equivalent layer inversion of a magnetic anomaly. The main advantage of the proposed approach is that no a priori information about the source is needed. The method is suitable for the interpretation of isolated magnetic sources for which magnetization is expected to be uniform in direction, but not necessarily in intensity. We have verified the success of the technique with synthetic data and with the magnetic anomaly of El Hierro volcanic island.