Magnetometers have a very diverse range of applications, including locating objects such as submarines, sunken ships, hazards for tunnel boring machines, hazards in coal mines, unexploded ordnance, toxic waste drums, as well as a wide range of mineral deposits and geological structures. They also have applications in heart beat monitors, weapon systems positioning, sensors in anti-locking brakes, weather prediction (via solar cycles), steel pylons, drill guidance systems, archaeology, plate tectonics and radio wave propagation and planetary exploration. Laboratory magnetometers determine the magnetic dipole moment of a magnetic sample, typically as a function of temperature, magnetic field, or other parameter. This helps to reveal its magnetic properties such as ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, superconductivity, or other properties that affect magnetism.
Depending on the application, magnetometers can be deployed in spacecraft, aeroplanes (fixed wing magnetometers), helicopters (stinger and bird), on the ground (backpack), towed at a distance behind quad bikes(ATVs) on a (sled or trailer), lowered into boreholes (tool, probe or sonde) and towed behind boats (tow fish).