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Lecture 3 - Gravimetry Measurements

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9 views22 pages

Lecture 3 - Gravimetry Measurements

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viksithv
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Gravimetry Measurements

Lecture 3 – ETG 2082 Applied Geophysics


Theory of Gravimetry

Newton’s Second Law of Motion


Theory of Gravimetry

Universal Law of Gravitation


Theory of Gravimetry

Typically,
g = 9.81 mS-2
Theory of Gravimetry

g = GM/r2

Typically,
g = 9.81 mS-2
How is gravity measures ?
There are three methods;

1. Falling objects

2. Pendulum

3. Mass on a spring
How is gravity measures ?
Falling objects:
• The distance a body falls is proportional
to the square time it has fallen.

• The proportionality constant is the


gravitational acceleration, g:

g = Distance / Time2
How is gravity measures ?
Falling objects:
g = distance / time2
.01 m/s2 = 1 Gal (Galileo)
10-3 Gal = 1 milliGal (mGal)

e.g. 9.82394 m/s2 = 982.394 Gal = 982,394 mGal

To measure
gravity changed by 0.25 mGals between two places

To measure changes in the gravitational acceleration down to 1 part in 40 million


using an instrument of reasonable size, we need to be able to measure changes in
distance down to 1 part in 10 million and changes in time down to 1 part in 10
thousands!!

As you can imagine, it is difficult to make measurements with this


level of accuracy.
How is gravity measures ?
Pendulum measurements:
T is the period of oscillations - the time that it
takes for the pendulum to complete one full
back-and-forth movement;

L is the length of the pendulum (of the string


from which the mass is suspended);

g is the acceleration of gravity. On Earth, this


value is equal to 9.80665 m/s² - this is the
default value in the simple pendulum
calculator.

The constant of proportionality, k, depends on


the pendulum length:
Here too, in order to measure the acceleration to 1 part in 50 million
requires a very accurate estimate of the instrument constant k, but k
cannot be determined accurately enough to do this.
How is gravity measures ?
Pendulum measurements:

But all is not lost:

• We could measure the period of oscillation of a given pendulum by dividing the time
of many oscillations by the total number of oscillations.

• By repeating this measurement at two different locations, we can estimate the


variation in gravitational acceleration without knowing k.
A pendulum has a length 0.500m. What is the
period of the pendulum. Use value of 9.81 m/s2
for the local acceleration due to gravity
How is gravity measures ?
Mass on a spring measurements:

The most common type of gravimeter


used in exploration surveys is based on a
simple mass-spring system.

According to Hook’s law:

X = mg / k
with k being the spring stiffness.
How is gravity measures ?
Mass on a spring measurements:

X = mg / k

• Like pendulum the measurements, we can not determine k


accurately enough to estimate the absolute value of the
gravitational acceleration to 1 part in 40 million.

• We can, however, estimate variations in the gravitational


acceleration from place to place to within this precision.
Absolute Gravitometer
 Measure the local gravity in

absolute units (“Gal” after

“Galileo”).

 Absolute gravimeters are compact

(Autograv CG-5 model) and used in

the field.

 It works by directly measuring the

acceleration of a mass during free

fall in a vacuum. The accelerometer

is rigidly attached to the ground.


Relative Gravitometer
 Relative gravimeters are spring based.
 It is a specially assembled extremely
sensitive spring balance carrying a fixed
mass.
 The basic principle is that the changes
in gravity will result change in weight of
fixed mass with change of location.
Gravity Anomaly
The shape of the gravity anomaly depends not on the absolute
density, but on the density contrast, i.e. the difference between
the anomalous density and the “background density”.
Gravity Anomaly
Gravity Anomaly
Here’s a list of densities associated with various earth’s materials:

Density (X1000 kg/m3)


o sediments 1.7-2.3
o sandstone 2.0-2.6
o shale 2.0-2.7
o limestone 2.5-2.8
o granite 2.5-2.8
o basalt 2.7-3.1
o metamorphic 2.6-3.0

The variation in density of subsurface materials create gravity


anomalies.

It’s necessary to have a considerable variation in gravity to sense


the anomaly.
Interpreting
Anomalies
Interpreting Anomalies
Review Video : (Self Study)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQt6UaR8Fcw

Questions ?
Thank You…!

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