Magnetic Field Imaging of Salt Structures at Nordkapp Basin, Barents Sea

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: Paoletti V., Milano M., Baniamerian J., Fedi M.
• Other Authors: Paoletti, V., Milano, M., Baniamerian, J., Fedi, M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: 3-D modeling; magnetic field; multiscale analysi; Nordkapp; potential field; salt diapirism; Barents Sea; Nordkapp Basin
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11588/832132; https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089026

We show that high-resolution aeromagnetic surveys, although rarely employed in the research of salt structures, may be an effective and low-cost tool for mapping diapirism. A multiscale analysis of a high-resolution magnetic data set at Nordkapp Basin in the Barents Sea, allows a clear reconstruction of the main salt diapirs of the basin using Multiridge and Compact Depth from Extreme Points methods. We provide a 3-D model of the diapirs extended from 500 to 4,000 m below sea level, characterized by a general low magnetization contrast no larger than −0.08 A/m. The 3-D model is consistent with the salt top depth estimated by 2-D seismics, with borehole data and with the 2-D gravity model of the Uranus diapir. Our imaging shows the capability of the magnetic method that gives new and comprehensive pictures of salt diapirism.