Gravity On A Small Scale

Chapter 8

m1m2
 !G 2 !!
F ...!
r
 Gravity?...Rocks?...Huh?
• We all feel and see gravity’s effects:
– Weight (i.e. a force) & downward acceleration

• The gravitational force depends on the rocks below us

– If the rocks beneath the surface change with location, we
expect that the gravitational force we experience will also
change.
– If we measure small changes in gravitational forces we can
use this information to make inferences about the rocks
below us.

• This is the essence of gravity surveying

 Acceleration Due to Gravity
• Because Earth acts like a point source of mass…

– We can use Newton’s universal gravitation eq to calculate

gravitational force on a small mass, ms, on the surface of the
Earth M E ms
F G 2
RE
To consider acceleration…
– Insert Newton’s second law to solve for the force on the small
body… M E ms
F  ms g  G 2
RE

– The small body's mass cancels out, and we are left with the
equation for the acceleration due M
to Egravity, g.
g G 2
RE

– This relationship implies that all bodies on earth’s surface

 Acceleration Due to Gravity
• Because Earth acts like a point source of mass…

• We know that Earth isn’t exactly spherically-symmetrical…

– E.g. lateral changes in rock type
– Topography
– Mantle plumes
• We should therefore be able to measure small changes in g and
determine subsurface rock properties that involve variations in
mass.
 The Mass of Earth
• Although the mass of Earth is not practical to measure, it
can be easily calculated: g  G M E
2
RE

– G = universal gravitational constant = 6.672 x 10-8 m3⋅Mg-1⋅s-2

– g = 9.81 m⋅s-2 (can be measured for falling objects)
– RE = can be measured from surveys or geometric observations
– ME = 5.97 x 1021 Mg or 5.97 x 1024 kg
• This mass estimate implies that the average density of
the Earth is ~ 5.5 Mg⋅m-3
– Most rocks are 2-3 Mg⋅m-3
– So, the interior of the Earth must be more dense than typical
crustal rocks. Why?
• Increasing lithostatic stress with depth squeezes rocks, increasing
density
 Densities of Common Rocks
• Rocks have a range of densities* (*your book gives
more)
– But in general, rock density does not widely vary
– What does this say about typical gravity anomaly sizes?
Type Rock Density
Unconsolidated Sand 1400-1650 kg/m3
Sedimentary Salt 2100-2600
Limestone 2000-2700
Shale 2000-2700
Igneous Granite 2500-2800
Basalt 2700-3000
Metamorphic Quartzite 2600-2700
Gneiss 2600-3000
Ore Galena 7400-7600
Pyrite 4900-5200
Magnetite 4900-5300
 Densities of Common Rocks
• Which has higher / lower density? • Which rock types make good targets for
– Surface / deep rocks gravity surveying?
– Weathered / unweathered rocks – Which don’t
– Fractured / unfractured rocks – Why

Type Rock Density

Unconsolidated Sand 1400-1650 kg/m3
Sedimentary Salt 2100-2600
Limestone 2000-2700
Shale 2000-2700
Igneous Granite 2500-2800
Basalt 2700-3000
Metamorphic Quartzite 2600-2700
Gneiss 2600-3000
Ore Galena 7400-7600
Pyrite 4900-5200
Magnetite 4900-5300
 Size of Gravity Anomalies
• To better understand the size of a typical gravity anomaly, lets
use a simple example…
• Buried sphere (decent approximation of a rising pluton or diapir)
– 0.3 Mg/m3 higher density than surrounding rocks
• Only the difference relative to the surrounding rocks matters
– Radius = 50 m
– Depth to center of sphere 100 m
 Size
M
of Gravity Anomalies
• Use g G E

R E
but in this case, we only care about the change in g
2

and the excess mass. m

g  G m  Vol  
d2
• We don’t know the mass change, but we do know the volume
change and the density change, so we can calculate the mass change.
g 
G 4 3
d2 3
 r  
G 4
100 2 3
 50 3
 0.3  1.048 x 10 6 m

s2
 Gravity Units
• The last example shows that gravity anomalies produce very
small perturbations relative to g (i.e. 9.81 m/s2).
– So measuring gravity anomalies in m/s2 is not convenient
• Instead we adopt a new unit: Gal (named in honor of Galileo)
– 1 Gal = 0.01 m/s2
• But this is still too large, so we typically use milliGals (mGal) or gravity units (g.u.)
– 1 mGal = 0.01 Gal = 10 g.u. = 1x10-5 m/s2 ~ 10-6 g (approximation assuming g=10 m/s ) 2

• So our buried sphere produced an anomaly of:

– 1.048x10-6 m/s2 = ~ 0.1 mGal
 Spatial Variation in Gravity Anomalies
• The previous example only calculated the change in g directly above
the buried sphere.
• What is the effect at locations not directly above the dense sphere?
– The net pull is larger than g (must sum forces vectorially)
– The net pull is not vertical, but this is hard to measure
– The net vertical pull is greater than g.
• We can measure this! This is how we measure gravity anomalies

This figure is exaggerated.

Fb is tiny compared to FE

δg
 Gravity Anomaly Due to Buried Sphere
• The gravity anomaly due to a buried sphere is straightforward
• We’ll start by assuming the sphere is a point source
Directly over the sphere (r = z) all of At some location, x, away from the sphere,
the additional acceleration is vertical only part of the acceleration is vertical and
and given by the relationship derived the vertical component is found by
earlier. trigonometry.
m m
 g vert  G 2  g vert  G 2
cos 
z r
x
x=0

 g net
 g net   g vert θ
z=r z r  g vert
 g horiz
 Gravity Anomaly Due to Buried Sphere
• Now lets put the equation into a more useful form…
It is not convenient to calculate θ, so Now plug these back into the previous
we can reformulate the equation in equation… m
terms that are more convenient.
 g vert  G 2
cos 
r
z
cos  
r

r  x2  z 2 
1/ 2
Subs in cos θ…
mz
 g vert  G
x r3
Subs in r = …
mz
 g vert  G
x 2
 z2 
3/ 2

z r θ But this is based on a mass change of a

point source. Sub in the mass change of
a sphere with radius = R and density
contrast Δρ m  Vol  
4
G  R 3  z
 g sphere  3
x  z 
2 2 3/ 2
Gravity Anomaly Due to Buried Sphere
• The process described on the previous slides can be repeated for
a 3D system to determine the 3D anomaly.
• Therefore gravity data may be collected along transects or along
grids (shown below).
 Other Gravity Anomalies
• Spherical targets :: diapirs and/or plutons
• Cylindrical targets :: tunnels/caves
– Note that all anomalies lack a sharp edge
– Subsurface geometry is non-unique
 Other Gravity Anomalies
• Sheets :: dikes, veins
• Anomaly shape
depends on
– Density contrast
– Depth
– Length of sheet
– Dip of the sheet
 Other Gravity Anomalies
• Sheet-like targets :: sills or stratographic layers.
• If the sheet is infinite, there will be no anomaly
– The distant parts of the sheet add little to the downward acceleration
– The net acceleration at two points P1 and P2 is the same
• The sheet will increase g everywhere by: g  2 G  t
– t = slab thickness, Δρ excess mass per m2
 Other Gravity Anomalies
• Half Sheets :: Discontinuous layers from faulting
– Produce a gradient near the edge
– Away from the edge, there is no anomaly (infinite sheet)
Measuring Gravity :: Gravimeters 2d z
g 2
• Because variations in gravity t
are very small, gravimeters
must be very sensitive.
• Gravity can be measured in
several ways
– Timing falling objects
• Only practical in the lab
Measuring Gravity :: Gravimeters
• Because variations in gravity
are very small, gravimeters
must be very sensitive.
• Gravity can be measured in
several ways
– Timing falling objects
• Only practical in the lab
– Measuring Pendulum Periods
• Requires a bulky apparatus (not
practical to carry around in the field)
Measuring Gravity :: Gravimeters
• Because variations in gravity
are very small, gravimeters
must be very sensitive.
• Gravity can be measured in
several ways
– Timing falling objects
• Only practical in the lab
– Measuring Pendulum Periods
• Requires a bulky apparatus (not
practical to lug around in the field)
– Measuring the extension of a
spring with a mass attached
• Follows Hooke’s Law
– F = -kx
• This is what modern gravimeters do!
 Gravimeters
• Modern gravimeters…
– Can detect a change of 1/100,000,000 th g
• Or 0.01 mGal
– Rely on a mass pivoted on a beam
attached to a spring
• A thermostat is present to prevent thermal
contraction or extension
– Must be carefully leveled before a reading
is made (time-consuming)
– Are somewhat delicate and must be
transported in protective boxes
• But even with all of this complexity,
the data from a gravimeter is not
directly useful
– data must be reduced to correct for
several effects
• Because gravity anomalies are small these
corrections are often comparable in size to the
anomalies and are thus very important
 Gravity Corrections
• Take the simple example of a gravity measurement made at two
different elevations
– Because the distance to the center of Earth is farther for higher elevations,
the gravity must be less.
– There are actually several types of corrections that must be applied to raw
gravity data in order for anomalies to be identified.
1. Drift
2. Latitude correction
3. Eötvös correction
4. Topographic correction
a. Free-air correction
b. Bouguer correction
c. Terrain correction
5. *Regional / Residual anomaly (not always necessary)
 Drift
• Drift is a change in readings that would occur even if the device
was not moved throughout the day.
– The spring inside the gravimeter may slowly creep or stretch
– Diurnal variations in tides
• Drift is corrected by periodically returning to a base station to
get the temporal variation.
– The drift is then subtracted from the rest of the data.
 Drift Example
• Because most land-based surveys can only collect one data point
at a time, temporal drift variations must be corrected
– Base station readings are used to determine the temporal variations
– The base station readings are normalized and then subtracted from the
data to correct for drift.
– The example below is idealized…assumes all other corrections have been
made.
0.12 0.12 0.12

anomaly (mGals)

anomaly (mGals)
anomaly (mGals)

0.10 0.10 0.10

0.08 0.08 0.08

0.06

0.04
_ 0.06

0.04
=
0.06

0.04

0.02 0.02 0.02

400 200 0 200 400 400 200 0 200 400 400 200 0 200 400

0.02 0.02 0.02

distance (m) distance (m) distance (m)

Raw data Base station data Data corrected for drift

 Latitudinal Gravity Variations
• Even if all rocks were the same and there was no topography
gravity would still vary with latitude
– Least at Equator
– Most at Poles Mini Earth
– Total variation ~0.5%

Why?

Equator:
9.78 m/s2

Poles:
9.83 m/s2
 Latitudinal Gravity Variations: Why?
• The Earth rotates on its axis…
– Creates centrifugal force which
depends on: Mini Earth
• Distance from axis
• Rate of rotation
– Centrifugal force causes Earth to
deform
• Fattest at equator
• Pinched in at poles
 Latitudinal Gravity Variations: Why?
• Because the Earth rotates on its axis…
– The radius of the Earth is greatest at the equator, least at the poles
• Gravity depends on distance to center of Earth
ME Mini Earth
g G 2
RE

Equator:
9.78 m/s2

6,378 km

Poles:
6,356 km
9.83 m/s2
 Latitude Correction
• Because gravity varies with latitude:
– A survey covering a large north/south distance will need to be corrected for
latitudinal changes in g.
– This correction is performed using the International Gravity Formula


g   978031.8 1  0.0053024 sin 2   0.0000059 sin 2 2 mGal 
– The correction ends up ~0.8 mGal/km, and given that a good gravimeter can
detect a 0.01 mGal change, a N/S movement of only 12 m can be detected.
9.83

g (m/s2) 9.82

9.81

9.80

9.79

80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80
latitude (degrees)
 Eötvös Correction
• If gravity measurements are made on a moving object (car, airplane, ship) a
centrifugal acceleration is induced and the gravity measurements must be
corrected.
• E.g. because the Earth rotates to the east (counterclockwise when looking down
from the north pole):
– Your weight is reduced due to centrifugal force (~0.34% on the equator due to a rotation of
465 m/s)
– If you are traveling eastward:
• measured gravity is less because your motion adds with Earth’s rotation
– If you are traveling westward:
• You cancel out some of Earth’s rotation and measured gravity is more
g Eötvös  4.040v sin  cos   0.001211v 2 mGal
• v = speed in km/hr
• λ = latitude
• α = direction of travel (azimuth)
• This is a huge correction
• ~2.5 mGal per km/hr!
• The main limiting factor in aerial gravity surveys is
accurate determination of the airplane velocity
 Topographic Corrections
• So far we have assumed that we were taking gravity
measurements at the same elevation.
• When gravity measurements are taken at different
elevations, up to three further corrections are needed.
– We also need a way to deal with water!
 Free-Air Correction
• Imagine taking a measurement at A (base station) then floating
up to elevation B in a balloon (i.e. in the free air!)

– You just moved farther from the center of Earth, so gravity must decrease!
– This turns out to be ~0.3086 mGal/meter of elevation change
• So a gravimeter will respond to changes in elevation of a few cm!
 The Free-Air Correction
This is negative too, so
• The Free-air correction: the negatives cancel
dg
g Free  air  h  0.3086 h
dR

• When h is positive (mountain range):

g Free air  0

• When h is negative (Death Valley):

g Free air  0
 The Bouguer Correction
• Now imagine that you float to point C.
– You feel less gravity than at A’ due to elevation (Free-air correction)
– You feel more gravity than B due to the mass of rock beneath you
(Bouguer correction)
– If you are on a wide and relatively flat plateau, the extra gravity can be
approximated by an infinite sheet/slab
m
g Bouguer  2 G h  2 
s 
g Bouguer  0.04192  h (mGal )
 The Bouguer Correction
• Since we do not treat negative elevations (i.e. marine surveys)
using the Free-air correction
– We use the Bouguer Correction and apply a negative density to reflect the
“missing” mass
LAND: Same as before.
It is common to use:
  2.67 g cm3
g Bouguer  0.04192  h
g Bouguer  0.112 h (mGal )

SEA: Bouguer is negative

because the water acts
like a mass deficit:

  1.03  2.67  g cm3

g Bouguer  0.0688 hw (mGal )
 The Combined Elevation Correction
• Because the free-air and Bouguer corrections both
depend on h (elevation)…
– we can combine them into a single “combined elevation
correction
g Bouguer  0.04192  h (mGal)
g Free  air  0.3086 h (mGal )
g elevation  g Free  air  g Bouguer

g elevation  h (0.3086  0.04192  ) (mGal )

 Terrain Correction
• The Bouguer correction assumes an infinite slab
– Reasonable at C, but not at D
• The pull of the mountain, H, would have the same effect as the valley, V
– Both would reduce g due to the vertical component of pull
• The terrain correction aims to correct for this and depends on:
– Shape and density of topography
– Mostly only the nearby features matter (g α 1/R2)
• No simple way to do this, so computers are used in conjunction with
digital elevation data and knowledge of local rock density
• Rule of thumb: If < 200 m from steep topography
– You need to do a terrain correction
 Finally…The Bouguer Anomaly
• Once all of the previously mentioned corrections have been made
g Bouguer anomaly  g measured  g latitude  g free  air  g bouguer  g terrain  g Eotvos
– The result is called the Bouguer anomaly
• Not to be confused with the Bouguer correction, which is different.
• If the terrain correction is omitted, the result is the “simple Bouguer anomaly”

– The purpose of the Bouguer anomaly is to give the anomaly due to

the density variations below the datum, without the effects of
topography and latitude
 Regional and Residual Anomalies
• Often another step is needed to elucidate a local anomaly
– Regional scale anomalies are very broad and can obscure local anomalies
– If regional slope is removed, the residual anomaly will show the local target
Regional and Residual Anomalies
0.6

0.5
anomaly (mGals)
0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 100 200 300 400 500
distance (m)
 Regional and Residual Anomalies
• Because different targets
produce anomalies of
differing wavelengths
– The total observed anomaly
may be the sum of many
targets
– To isolate the local target,
you can subtract off each
regional anomaly
 Planning a Gravity Survey
• Before conducting a gravity survey calculations should be made
– Guess target size & geometry; look for geologic data on density contrasts
– Calculate the likely anomaly magnitude and wavelength
– Determine what accuracy is needed / Is survey likely to detect the anomaly?
 Conducting a Gravity Survey
• Gravitimeters only measure δg…i.e they measure relative g
– To get absolute g, compare to permanent reference station
– Thus, surveys done by different devices yield different values of g
– Because anomalies are broader than the target, surveys must extend well
beyond the estimated target edge
– Surveys that seek anomalies < 0.1 mGal (100 μGal) = Microgravity
• Require very precise corrections (even for buildings!)
 Modeling Gravity Data
• Gravity data suffers from the same caveats as most geophysical
techniques
– Modeling data is an inverse problem, so results are non-unique
• You can calculate the predicted anomaly
from a known body exactly
• You cannot calculate the exact body
from the anomaly
– Data quality is limiting (noise, correction errors)
 Depth Rules
• Because the
anomaly depends
on target depth,
some general
depth rules can
help with inverse
modeling
 Total Excess Mass
While modeling gravity data suffers from non-uniqueness…
• Total excess mass can be uniquely calculated
– Must be very careful with calculating the tails
• Tails are low in magnitude, but can extend very far

1
M excess  (Vanomaly ) 0.6
2 G 0.5

anomaly (mGals)
0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 100 200 300 400 500
distance (m)

– To calculate the mass of the body…

  body 
M body  M excess   Useful if you want to know
   the total mass of an ore body
 body surroundin g rock 