Application of High-Precision Filters on Airborne Magnetic Data: A Case Study of the Ogoja Region, Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Aeromagnetic data from the Ogoja region, Southeast Nigeria, were enhanced using high-precision methods including the tilt angle of total horizontal gradient (TAHG), the softsign function (SF), and the improved logistic function (IL) with the aim of creating a new structural map. This new map can help improve the understanding of the trend, spatial distribution, and pattern of the lineaments. The TAHG, SF, and IL methods generated geologic structures with correlating trends, distributions, and patterns. However, the SF and IL techniques mapped the borders of geologic structures more precisely. The lineaments extracted from the SF and IL maps were reduced to equator (RTE) magnetic data, and a GIS was used to create structural maps with NE–SW, NW–SE, NNE–SSW, and NNW–SSE orientations. Furthermore, the depths (0–2100 m) of these geologic structures were estimated using the tilt depth technique (TDT). The high lineament density and thin sedimentation observed in the study area were triggered by the widespread Santonian igneous intrusions associated with the Abakaliki Anticlinorium. The techniques applied in our study can be employed in areas with the same conditions around the world for the precise delineation of geologic structures from magnetic and gravity data.