Short-duration, short-wavelength marine magnetic anomalies such as those created during fast seafloor spreading in the northwest Indian Ocean during the Paleocene-Eocene can be used to study geohistorical and paleomagnetic problems. In this study, we compare widely used methods for detecting and studying short-wavelength magnetic anomalies. Comparisons are done using the classical magnetic block model and more complex models that simulate actual processes of oceanic crustal accretion and magnetic field variations in the past. Spectral and statistical methods are used to estimate the resolution of the magnetic anomalies (MA). Preprocessing of a set of closely-spaced profiles based on the maximal correlation is considered and validated as a useful method for separating data noise from signal and identifying short-duration anomalies with higher confidence.