Detailed Regional Magnetic Mapping on a Bike, A Case Study from Northern Israel

This study presents new regional Total Magnetic Intensity and Reduced to Pole (TMI and RTP, respectively) magnetic anomaly maps of northern Israel and NW Jordan (10,620 km²) in an unprecedented 1-km grid spacing. The maps quantitatively integrate new ground data, collected along 5000 km using the bike-mag design, with all available marine and aerial magnetic surveys previously conducted. The removal of anthropogenic influences during processing is evident from a comparison of the resulting maps with the distribution of infrastructure. The study discusses the correlation between previously mapped magmatic outcrops and the new RTP anomalies. This correlation suggests that the subsurface magmatic bodies are broader than their surficial outcrops. RTP anomalies found over areas free of surface basaltic outcrops indicate subsurface causative bodies. Some of these bodies were previously identified in wells. The complete spatial coverage of the RTP map allows linking these sporadic occurrences and placing them into the regional geological context. The detailed map breaks down the previous course anomalies and allows a better understanding of magmatic events spanning from the Jurassic to the present. This study demonstrates the robustness and efficiency of the bike-mag for ground data acquisition, and the integration procedures for producing maps from a variety of sources and parameters.