 Solution

The supplied south–north profile has a large southern/interior negative trough and a sharp positive peak toward the northern rim. That is opposite to the simplest positive, presently induced magnetic body in question 5(d). It therefore does not justify interpreting the crater as a concentration of strongly magnetic meteorite material.

A negative magnetization contrast from replacing magnetic basalt already reverses the simple induced-body response. In addition, the target Deccan Traps can retain strong remanent magnetization whose direction differs from the present geomagnetic field; crater excavation and rim geometry then produce a strong magnetic topographic effect. Rock-magnetic measurements and forward modelling distinguish these contributions. A primary study of this crater attributes most of its anomaly to magnetized target basalts and topography, with a comparatively small contribution from the breccia and post-impact sediment.^[ref]

The curve alone is not a unique diagnosis of reversed polarity, impact-induced magnetization or a buried iron mass. The physical conclusion supported by the comparison is that a positive induced-body model is inadequate; inherited target-rock magnetization, its removal and geometry must be modelled.