Bhimasankaram et al. (1977) used Fourier spectrum analysis for a direct approach to the interpretation of gravity anomaly over a finite inclined dike. They derived several equations from the real and imaginary components and from the amplitude and phase spectra to relate various parameters of the dike. Because the width 2b of the dike (Figure 1) appears only in sin (ωb) term—ω being the angular frequency—they determined its value from the minima/zeroes of the amplitude spectra. The theoretical Fourier spectrum uses gravity field data over an infinite distance (length), whereas field observations are available only for a limited distance. Thus, a set of observational data is viewed as a product of infinite‐distance data with an appropriate window function. Usually, a rectangular window of appropriate distance (width) and of unit magnitude is chosen for this purpose. The Fourier transform of the finite‐distance and discrete data is thus represented by convolution operations between Fourier transforms of the infinite‐distance data, the window function, and the comb function. The combined effect gives a smooth, weighted average spectrum. Thus, the Fourier transform of actual observed data may differ substantially from theoretic data. The differences are apparent for low‐ and high‐frequency ranges. As a result, the minima of the amplitude spectra may change considerably, thereby rendering the estimate of the width of the dike unreliable from the roots of the equation sin (ωb) = 0.
Theoretical Description of the Fourier Transform of the Absolute Amplitude Spectra and Its Applications
