De-Striping
Definition
A processing operation that equalises the mean value across adjacent survey lines in magnetometry or resistivity data, removing banded artefacts caused by instrument drift, heading effects, or operator-speed variation without affecting real anomalies that vary across lines.
- Applies to
- Magnetometry and resistivity survey data
- Artefact removed
- Banded patterns along adjacent survey lines
- Causes of banding
- Instrument drift, heading effects, operator-speed variation
- Method
- Equalises the mean value across neighbouring lines
- Design goal
- Preserves genuine anomalies that vary across lines
Common questions
How does de-striping avoid removing a real buried feature that happens to run along a survey line?+
The algorithm equalises the statistical mean or baseline level between lines rather than smoothing across them, so a localised anomaly that stands out against its own line's baseline is preserved while the systematic line-to-line offset caused by instrument or operator variation is removed.
What happens if de-striping is applied to data that does not actually have striping artefacts?+
Applying it unnecessarily risks flattening genuine gradual anomalies that happen to align with the survey line direction, so processors typically inspect the raw grid for visible banding before deciding the correction is warranted.
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