Classification of soil magnetic susceptibility and prediction of metal detector performance - case study of Angola

摘要

Soil magnetic properties can seriously impede the performance of metal detectors used in landmine clearance operations. For a proper planning of clearance operations pre-existing information on soil magnetic susceptibility can be helpful. In this study we briefly introduce a classification system to assess soil magnetic susceptibilities from geoscientific maps. The classification system is based on susceptibility measurements conducted on archived lateritic soil samples from 15 tropical countries. The system is applied to a soil map of Angola, resulting in a map that depicts soil magnetic susceptibilities as a worst case scenario. An additional layer depicting the surveyed mine affected communities in Angola is added to the map, which demonstrates that a large number of those are located in areas where soil is expected to impede metal detector performance severely.