Gravity data collection with a CG5 gravitymeter for densification of the gravity data around the AUT1 IHRF station

Author(s):  
Dimitrios A. Natsiopoulos ◽  
Elisavet G. Mamagiannou ◽  
Eleftherios A. Pitenis ◽  
Georgios S. Vergos ◽  
Ilias N. Tziavos ◽  
...  

<p>Within the GeoGravGOCE project, funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research Innovation, a main goal has been the densification of the available land gravity database around the eastern part of the city of Thessaloniki, Greece, where the core International Height Reference Frame (IHRF) station AUT1 is located in order to improve regional geoid and potential determination. Hence it was deemed necessary to densify the available gravity data within radiuses of 10 km, 20 km, 50 km and 100 km from the AUT1 core IHRF site. In that frame, and given the geological complexity of the region surrounding Thessaloniki and the significant variations of the terrain, gravity campaigns were appropriately designed and gravity measurements were carried out in order to densify the database and cover as much as possible traverses of varying altitude. The measurements have been carried out with the CG5 gravity meter of the GravLab group and dual-frequency GNSS receivers in RTK mode for orthometric height determination. In this  study we provide details of the gravity campaigns, the measurement principle and the finally derived gravity and free-air gravity anomalies. The mean measurement accuracy achieved was at the ~20 μGal level for the gravity measurements and ~3 cm for the orthometric heights. In all cases the final derived gravity value was based on the absolute point established by the GravLab team at the AUTH seismological station premises with the A10 (#027) absolute gravity meter.</p>

The theory of the application of gravity measurements to geodetic calculations is discussed, and the errors involved in calculating deflexions of the vertical are estimated. If the gravity data are given as free air anomalies from Jeffreys’s (1948) formula, so thdt the second and third harmonics of gravity are assumed known, the orders of magnitude of the standard deviations of the different sources of error are the following: Single deflexion: neglect of gravity outside 20° 1" Difference of deflexions: neglect of gravity outside 5° 0"·5 Calculation of effects of gravity from 0º·05 to 5° 0"·1 Calculation of effects of gravity within 0º·05 between 0"·1 and 0"·5 Estimates of the deflexions are made for Greenwich, Herstmonceux, Southampton and Bayeux, and the difference between Greenwich and Southampton is compared with the astronomical and geodetic amplitudes.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Seoane ◽  
Benjamin Beirens ◽  
Guillaume Ramillien

<p>We propose to cumulate complementary gravity data, i.e. geoid height and (radial) free-air gravity anomalies, to evaluate the 3-D shape of the sea floor more precisely. For this purpose, an Extended Kalman Filtering (EKF) scheme has been developed to construct the topographic solution by injecting gravity information progressively. The main advantage of this sequential cumulation of data is the reduction of the dimensions of the inverse problem. Non linear Newtonian operators have been re-evaluated from their original forms and elastic compensation of the topography is also taken into account. The efficiency of the method is proved by inversion of simulated gravity observations to converge to a stable topographic solution with an accuracy of only a few meters. Real geoid and gravity data are also inverted to estimate bathymetry around the New England and Great Meteor seamount chains. Error analysis consists of comparing our topographic solutions to accurate single beam ship tracks for validation.</p>


Science ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 340 (6140) ◽  
pp. 1552-1555 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. Melosh ◽  
Andrew M. Freed ◽  
Brandon C. Johnson ◽  
David M. Blair ◽  
Jeffrey C. Andrews-Hanna ◽  
...  

High-resolution gravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory spacecraft have clarified the origin of lunar mass concentrations (mascons). Free-air gravity anomalies over lunar impact basins display bull’s-eye patterns consisting of a central positive (mascon) anomaly, a surrounding negative collar, and a positive outer annulus. We show that this pattern results from impact basin excavation and collapse followed by isostatic adjustment and cooling and contraction of a voluminous melt pool. We used a hydrocode to simulate the impact and a self-consistent finite-element model to simulate the subsequent viscoelastic relaxation and cooling. The primary parameters controlling the modeled gravity signatures of mascon basins are the impactor energy, the lunar thermal gradient at the time of impact, the crustal thickness, and the extent of volcanic fill.


Geofizika ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-261
Author(s):  
Fan Luo ◽  
Xin Tao ◽  
Guangming Fu ◽  
Chong Zhang ◽  
Kun Zhang ◽  
...  

Satellite gravity data are widely used in the field of geophysics to study deep structures at the regional and global scales. These data comprise free-air gravity anomaly data, which usually need to be corrected to a Bouguer gravity anomaly for practical application. Bouguer reduction approaches can be divided into two methods based on the coordinate system: the spherical coordinates method (SBG) and the Cartesian coordinates method; the latter is further divided into the CEBG and CBG methods, which do and do not include the Earth’s curvature correction. In this paper, free-air gravity anomaly data from the eastern Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent areas were used as the basic data to compare the CBG, CEBG, and SBG Bouguer gravity correction methods. The comparison of these three Bouguer gravity correction methods shows that the effect of the Earth’s curvature on the gravitational effect increases with increasing elevation in the study area. We want to understand the inversion accuracy for the data obtained by different Bouguer gravity reduction approaches. The depth distributions of the Moho were obtained by the interface inversion of the Bouguer gravity anomalies obtained by the CBG, CEBG, and SBG, and active seismic profiles were used as references for comparison and evaluation. The results show that the depths of the Moho obtained by the SBG inversion are more consistent with the measured seismic profile depths. Therefore, the SBG method is recommended as the most realistic approach in the process of global or regional research employing gravity data.


Author(s):  
Eteje S. O. ◽  
Oduyebo O. F. ◽  
Oluyori P. D.

As the application of gravity data in applied sciences such as geodesy, geodynamics, astronomy, physics and geophysics for earth shape determination, geoid model determination, computation of terrestrial mass displacement, orbit computation of natural and artificial celestial bodies, realization of force standards and derived quantities and density distribution in the different layers in the upper crust and having considered the cost of direct gravity survey, the study presents modelling local gravity anomalies from processed observed gravity measurements for geodetic application in Benin City. A total of 22 points were used. The points were respectively observed with CHC900 dual frequency GNSS receivers and SCINTREX CG-5 Autograv to obtain their coordinates and absolute gravity values. The theoretical gravity values of the points were computed on the Clarke 1880 ellipsoid to obtain their local gravity anomalies. The free air and the Bouguer corrections were applied to the computed gravity anomalies to obtain the free air and the Bouguer gravity anomalies of the points. Least squares adjustment technique was applied to obtain the model variables coefficient/parameters, as well as to fit the fifth-degree polynomial interpolation surface to the computed free air and the Bouguer gravity anomalies. Kriging method was applied using Surfer 12 software to plot the computed and the models' free air and Bouguer gravity anomalies. Microsoft Excel programs were developed for the application of the models in the study area. The Root Mean Square Errors (RMSEs) and the standard errors of the two models were computed to obtain the dependability, as well as reliability of the models. It is recommended that whenever either free air or Bouguer gravity anomalies of points within Benin City are to be obtained for application in applied sciences, the determined models should be applied.


The Afar triangle is bordered, to the west, by a seismic belt running along and on top of the escarpment. Seventy-five percent of the seismic energy of the area is released along this belt. The epicentre distribution along the western escarpment coincides either with major north-south marginal tectonic features or with cross-rift faulting. A second epicentre lineation runs at N 15° E through central Afar. To the south-east, in the region of the Gulf of Tadjura, epicentre locations offer no distinct lineation. The sum of the free-air gravity anomalies over Afar is almost zero; Bouguer values are generally negative and strictly proportional to elevation. Absolute Bouguer positive values are found only over volcanic centres and along the northeastern coast; their maximum does not compare with the positive values found over the nearby Red Sea trough. Evidence based on attenuation and dispersion of seismic surface waves and on gravity profiles suggests a continental crustal structure of relatively ‘standard’ thickness under the Afar triangle.


Geophysics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 1057-1069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Woo Kim ◽  
Ralph R. B. von Frese ◽  
Hyung Rae Kim

We investigate the use of spectral correlation theory to analyze terrain gravity effects and free‐air gravity anomalies of Ohio for possible constraints on the thickness variations and neotectonics of the crust. Terrain gravity effects are computed from the topography by Gauss‐Legendre quadrature integration and are compared against independent free‐air gravity anomaly observations for their wavenumber correlation spectrum. Spectral correlation filters are designed accordingly to extract terrain‐correlated free‐air gravity anomalies that are subtracted from the terrain gravity effects for estimates of the compensated terrain gravity effects. These effects are used to model the Moho by inversion, assuming they predominantly reflect crustal thickness variations. Our results characterize the middle third of Ohio as a broad zone of thickened Precambrian crust, which also may include rifted regions where the thickness of the prerift crust has been reduced greatly. Furthermore, we find that about 83% of the instrumentally determined earthquake epicenters are located within the inferred thinner regions of Ohio’s crust or at their margins where compressional stresses may dominate. In general, these crustal thickness variations provide new constraints on modeling the tectonic evolution and geotechnical parameters of the crust—constraints that are important for evaluating earthquake hazards, the distribution and extraction of crustal resources, and the storage of hazardous waste and other crustal engineering applications.


Geophysics ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 1480-1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin E. Bell ◽  
A. B. Watts

The first Bell Aerospace BGM-3 Marine Gravity Meter System available for academic use was installed on R/V Robert D. Conrad in February, 1984. The BGM-3 system consists of a forced feedback accelerometer mounted on a gyrostabilized platform. Its sensor (requiring no cross‐coupling correction) is a significant improvement over existing beam and spring‐type sea gravimeters such as the GSS-2. A gravity survey over the Wallops Island test range together with the results of subsequent cruises allow evaluation of the precision, accuracy, and capabilities of the new system. Over the test range, the BGM-3 data were compared directly to data obtained by a GSS-2 meter onboard R/V Conrad. The rms discrepancy between free‐air gravity anomaly values at intersecting ship tracks of R/V Conrad was ±0.38 mGal for BGM-3 compared to ±1.60 mGal for the GSS-2. Moreover, BGM-3’s platform recovered from abrupt changes in ship’s heading more rapidly than did the platform of GSS-2. The principal factor limiting the accuracy of sea gravity data is navigation. Over the test range, where navigation was by Loran C and transit satellite, a two‐step filtering of the ship’s velocity and position was required to obtain an optimal Eötvös correction. A spectral analysis of 1 minute values of the Eötvös correction and the reduced free‐air gravity anomaly determined the filter characteristics. To minimize the coherence between the Eötvös and free‐air anomaly, it was necessary to prefilter the ship’s position and velocity. Using this procedure, reduced free‐air gravity anomalies with wavelengths as small as a few kilometers can be resolved.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Šprlák ◽  
C. Gerlach ◽  
B. Pettersen

Validation of GOCE global gravity field models using terrestrial gravity data in NorwayThe GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) satellite gravity gradiometry mission maps the Earth's gravity field. Harmonic analysis of GOCE observations provides a global gravity field model (GGFM). Three theoretical strategies, namely the direct, the space-wise and the time-wise approach, have been proposed for GOCE harmonic analysis. Based on these three methods, several GGFMs have been provided to the user community by ESA. Thereby different releases are derived from different periods of GOCE observations and some of the models are based on combinations with other sources of gravity field information. Due to the multitude of GOCE GGFMs, validation against independent data is a crucial task for the quality description of the different models.In this study, GOCE GGFMs from three releases are validated with respect to terrestrial free-air gravity anomalies in Norway. The spectral enhancement method is applied to avoid spectral inconsistency between the terrestrial and the GOCE free-air gravity anomalies.The results indicate that the time-wise approach is a reliable harmonic analysis procedure in all three releases of GOCE models. The space-wise approach, available in two releases, provides similar results as the time-wise approach. The direct approach seems to be highly affected by a-priori information.


2021 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjam Bilker-Koivula ◽  
Jaakko Mäkinen ◽  
Hannu Ruotsalainen ◽  
Jyri Näränen ◽  
Timo Saari

AbstractPostglacial rebound in Fennoscandia causes striking trends in gravity measurements of the area. We present time series of absolute gravity data collected between 1976 and 2019 on 12 stations in Finland with different types of instruments. First, we determine the trends at each station and analyse the effect of the instrument types. We estimate, for example, an offset of 6.8 μgal for the JILAg-5 instrument with respect to the FG5-type instruments. Applying the offsets in the trend analysis strengthens the trends being in good agreement with the NKG2016LU_gdot model of gravity change. Trends of seven stations were found robust and were used to analyse the stabilization of the trends in time and to determine the relationship between gravity change rates and land uplift rates as measured with global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) as well as from the NKG2016LU_abs land uplift model. Trends calculated from combined and offset-corrected measurements of JILAg-5- and FG5-type instruments stabilized in 15 to 20 years and at some stations even faster. The trends of FG5-type instrument data alone stabilized generally within 10 years. The ratio between gravity change rates and vertical rates from different data sets yields values between − 0.206 ± 0.017 and − 0.227 ± 0.024 µGal/mm and axis intercept values between 0.248 ± 0.089 and 0.335 ± 0.136 µGal/yr. These values are larger than previous estimates for Fennoscandia.


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