Wavelet Entropy: A New Tool for Edge Detection of Potential Field Data

Area of Science:

• Geophysics
• Geophysical Exploration
• Potential Field Interpretation

Background:

• Subsurface source boundary identification is crucial for interpreting potential field anomalies.
• Existing edge detection techniques have limitations in complex geological scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the behavior of wavelet space entropy for delineating 2D potential field source edges.
• To test the robustness of wavelet space entropy for complex source geometries.
• To validate the method using both synthetic and real geophysical datasets.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of wavelet space entropy over potential field source boundaries.
• Application to 2D prismatic body models with varying parameters.
• Validation using magnetic anomaly data (Bishop model) and gravity anomaly data (Delhi fold belt region, India).
• Comparison with established geophysical edge detection techniques.

Main Results:

• Wavelet space entropy exhibits prominent signatures at geological boundaries.
• Sharp changes in wavelet space entropy values correlate with source edges.
• The method demonstrates effectiveness in delineating edges for both synthetic and real-world datasets.
• Successful application to complex source geometries.

Conclusions:

• Wavelet space entropy is a robust and effective tool for subsurface source boundary identification in geophysical exploration.
• The technique provides clear indications of geological boundaries, aiding in geophysical source characterization.
• This method offers a valuable alternative or complement to existing edge detection techniques.