Preliminary results from the first geomagnetic deep sounding in the Western sector of the Anti Atlas region, Southern Morocco

Abstract

An array of vector magnetometers was temporarily installed in the Western sector of the Anti Atlas chain, Morocco in the frame of the Geomagnetic Depth Sounding (GDS) technique. As a fruitful collaboration between Italy and Morocco, the joint project “Terremagnet”, funded by the Italian Ministry of the Foreign Affair, was aimed to local observations of the Earth’s magnetic field in order to define electric conductivity horizontal and vertical contrasts in a tectonic active region. The analysis in time and frequency-domain for tests on the induced EM field dimension, computations of single site and coupled site Transfer Functions (TFs) and induction vectors configuration are shown. Recorded data are compared to Averroes geomagnetic observatory (Morocco) (IAGA code: AVE, lat. 33° 17’ 53” N, long. 7° 24’ 48” W, altitude: 230 m a.s.l.). The preliminary results from Morocco are really encouraging and pointed out good data samplings that will allow shedding up light on the tectonic setting of this peculiar region of the Anti-Atlas.