Abstract Regularly spaced magnetic anomaly surveys, consisting of parallel traverse lines and perpendicular (more widely spaced) tie lines, are routinely collected for multiple applications including geologic studies and, more recently, as reference for alternative magnetic navigation. A key factor in the planning of these surveys is the determination of the traverse and tie line spacing to provide acceptable sampling of the magnetic anomalies of interest. This paper revisits the “go to” reference for such survey design, a paper published by Reid in 1980. Data collection and processing has changed significantly since 1980, so it is timely to revisit these issues. The Reid (1980) analysis remains relevant for the resolution of short wavelength anomalies, but additional factors should now be considered for modern survey design and evaluation. As an example, surveys used to support alternative navigation may have different resolution requirements than surveys for shallow geologic investigation.
Saltus et al. (Sun,) studied this question.