Micromagnetic Report

Sinkholes are a serious hazard in the Dead Sea area. They started appearing in the last two decades due to the dramatic drop in the Dead Sea's water level and soon became a major problem for commercial and industrial development. Sites with large, open sinkholes have been identified throughout a wide region. Several geophysical methods have been employed to investigate and predict the occurrences; these include seismic, geoelectric, EM, microgravity, and now micromagnetics.

All surveys used a portable, high sensitivity, Overhauser magnetometer with automatic recording. The instrument has a resolution of 0.01 nT and measurements were taken at a 1 to 3 m station spacing. Latitude and longitude were determined by GPS mounted above the magnetic sensor. A second magnetometer was used as a base station to measure the diurnal variations of the magnetic field. The operations of the two units were synchronized and diurnal corrections were made automatically.

To download your copy of this report, a reprint of a Leading Edge article entitled, "Cave detection near the Dead Sea - a micromagnetic feasibility study", click here. Note that this article was reprinted courtesy of the authors and we thank them for their contribution.