Abstract
Measurement of temporal magnetic variations on the sea floor is desirable in order to extend the technique of geomagnetic depth sounding into the oceans. This paper describes a recording three-component sea floor magnetometer and its use in continental shelf depths. The orientation and tilt of the instrument on the sea floor are recorded using gelatine solutions to ‘freeze’ a compass card and a ball-bearing, respectively. A backing-off procedure initially nulls the magnetic field components along each of the three mutually orthogonal fluxgate sensors. Magnetic variations along each sensor axis are then recorded within a range of ± 300 nT of these nulled positions. The resolution is ± 1 nT, and with a power drain of 800 mW the magnetometer can record continuously for 30 days. The instrument capsule is moored to surface buoys for recovery in continental shelf applications. The buoys may have marker flags, radar reflectors or radio beacons attached to them to aid in relocation.
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