Question:medium

A land magnetic survey was carried out along a profile length of 500 m with an inter-station spacing of 5 m over a buried ore body. The optimum width of the body that can be best resolved is __________ m (answer in integer).

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Use the spatial sampling (Nyquist) rule - a target needs at least two stations across its width to be properly resolved.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
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Correct Answer: 10

Solution and Explanation

Look at the same problem from the wavenumber domain instead of counting samples directly.

Step 1: Nyquist wavenumber.
For a sampling interval \(\Delta x\), the Nyquist wavenumber is \(k_N = \dfrac{1}{2\Delta x}\), corresponding to the shortest recoverable spatial wavelength \(\lambda_{min} = 2\Delta x = 10\) m.

Step 2: Relate wavelength to target width.
A localized magnetic anomaly from a buried body of width \(w\) behaves, along the profile, like roughly half a spatial wavelength of the signal it produces, so the smallest body whose anomaly is not aliased or smeared out corresponds to \(w \approx \lambda_{min} = 2\Delta x\).

Step 3: Substitute.
\(w_{opt} = 2 \times 5\ \text{m} = 10\) m - the same figure obtained purely from the frequency-domain (Nyquist) argument, confirming \(\boxed{10\ \text{m}}\).

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