Carry out, process and interpret measurements of the physical properties of the Earth with the objective of the practical application of the findings. Most exploration geophysics is done to find commercial accumulations of oil, gas, coal, or other minerals, but geophysical investigations are also used for engineering purposes, in studies intended to predict the nature of the Earth for the foundations of roads, buildings, dams, tunnels, nuclear power plants and other structures, and in the search for geothermal areas, water resources, pollution, archaeological ruins, etc.

Driven initially by military work, UAV platforms (helicopter, multi-copter, and fixed wing) have evolved significantly in the last decade. With improvements in efficiency, range, size, and payload, drone magnetometer platforms have proven effective for a variety of applications. The drone mounted magnetometer trend is growing quickly, as more and more commercial applications are uncovered.

Applications for UAVs include the geosciences and military, including geophysics drones. The UAV has proven effective for mapping mineral deposits, pipelines and other buried infrastructure; surveying hydro lines for breaks; detecting small buried arms in forensic investigations; and other high-resolution, high-sensitivity UAV magnetometer survey work, such as unexploded ordnance detection (UXO), engineering and environmental projects.

UAV technology is no longer in the future – the applications are here today and growing. As you move forward in your journey with UAV magnetometer technology, LASE welcomes you to discover the many advantages.

An understanding of rock magnetization is important in at least three different areas: prospecting, geology, and materials science. In magnetic prospecting, one is interested in mapping the depth, size, type, and inferred composition of buried rocks. The prospecting, which may be done from ground surface, ship, or aircraft, provides an important first step in exploring buried geologic structures and may, for example, help identify favourable locations for oil, natural gas, and mineral deposits.

Rock magnetization has traditionally played an important role in geology. Paleomagnetic work seeks to determine the remanent magnetization and thereby ascertain the character of the Earth’s field when certain rocks were formed. The results of such research have important ramifications in stratigraphic correlation, age dating, and reconstructing past movements of the Earth’s crust among many others functions.

Magnetic methods are applicable to gold exploration because alteration readily destroys magnetite such that, in the absence of post-mineralization cover, gold deposits invariably occur within “magnetic quiet zones”, typically several kilometers across

The magnetic method is especially effective for mapping gold deposits as they mostly occur in volcanic rocks with high magnetization, which makes the quiet zones more distinct

The magnetic method used by LASE, is based on mapping the subsurface distribution of magnetic minerals, primarily magnetite. Mafic igneous rocks can be very magnetic, whereas felsic igneous, metamorphic, and particularly sedimentary rocks generally have weaker magnetic expressions. Many Mesozoic–Cenozoic plutonic and volcanic rocks are sufficiently magnetic to be expressed in magnetic anomaly maps.

Magnetic gradiometry is an important near-surface exploration method in the investigation of gold and silver deposits. The first vertical derivative of the residual total magnetic field provides value-added products that may contribute to the geological interpretation of magnetic data. The first vertical derivative (nT m−1) is probably the most commonly used derived product. Vertical gradient maps present a filtered picture of the magnetic field, emphasizing near-surface geological features. Vertical gradient maps are useful for mapping geological contacts, since theoretically the zero contour of the gradient coincides with contacts between contrasting magnetizations, provided the contacts are steep and the area lies in high magnetic latitudes.