Depth determination using the characteristic points of the least-squares residual gravity anomaly profiles

Abstract EN

The present paper deals with a simple numerical approach to estimate the depth of a buried structure from the characteristic points of the least-squares residual gravity anomaly profile, namely, the points at which the anomaly attains its half-maximum and zero.

The problem of depth determination from the characteristic distances is transformed into the problem of finding a equation of the form z = f(z).

Formulas are derived for simple geometrically shaped causative sources for different orders of fit.

The procedure has been applied to synthetic data with and without random errors.

The method can be applied not only to residuals but also to the Bouguer anomaly profile consisting of the combined effect of a residual component due to a purely local structure and a regional component represented by a polynomial of low order.

The method is; easy to apply and may be automated if desired.

The procedure has beeri tested on two field examples from the United States and Egypt.

In both cases, the depth obtained is consistent with the actual depth.