Structural boundaries delimitation from aeromagnetic data using the horizontal gradient and the continuous wavelet transform: a case study of In Ouzzal area, west of Hoggar, Algeria

Abstract

In this paper, we have analyzed the aeromagnetic data using the 2D horizontal gradient (HG) technique combined with the 2D continuous wavelet transform (CWT). The objective is to delineate structural boundaries using the spatial distribution of maxima of modulus of the CWT of the HG. The proposed idea is applied to the geomagnetic data of In Ouzzal area, located in west of Hoggar (Algeria). Obtained results are compared with the geological map of the area and directional continuous wavelet transform solutions. Comparison shows that with this approach, we are able to resolve the problem of noise effect on the horizontal gradient solutions. Our method shows good solutions where geological contacts are known.