A vertical magnetometer is described which is believed to fill the need for an intermediate type between the dip needle and the Schmidt balance. It does not require a tripod and levels itself. The compass for orienting remains attached to the instrument; it may also readily be compensated for temperature. It utilizes a magnetic system suspended in jewels in or near its center of gravity; the magnetic vertical intensity is balanced by the torsion of a helical spring. The magnetic system is adjusted to the normal vertical intensity in the area under survey by a suitable setting of the spring and the anomaly is roughly proportional to the angle of deflection from the horizontal.