A normalized statistics method in edge detection of potential field anomalies

Numerous filters are available to enhance subtle detail in potential field data, such as downward continuation, horizontal and vertical derivatives, and other forms of high pass filters. A commonly used edge-detection filter is the total horizontal derivative (THD), which is computed as follows: Successive applications of the statistical filter on real magnetic data from the Sar- Cheshme region in Rafsanjan reveal the applicability of this filter. In this regard, we took into consideration the comparison between the main lithological units (Andezite and Trachyandezite) from a simplified geological map of the area and the results associated with the statistical filter. Application of the filter mentioned above determined the width of major geological units to be about 1520 m, which, in comparison with the measured width (1400m), produced an error of 6.67 percent, which is an admissible value.