Magnetic anomaly detection using high-order crossing method

Magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) is a passive method used to detect visually obscured ferromagnetic objects by revealing the anomalies in the ambient Earth magnetic field. In this paper, we propose a method for MAD employing the high-order crossing (HOC) approach, which relies on the magnetic background nature. HOC is an alternative method for spectral analysis using zero-crossing count, also enabling signal discrimination. Tests with real-world recorded magnetic signals show high detection probability even for low signal-to-noise ratio. The high detection probability, together with a simple implementation and low power consumption, makes the HOC method attractive for real-time MAD applications such as intruder detection and for research on an earthquake magnetic precursor.