Bars and spheroids in gravimetry problem

Abstract

The direct gravimetry problem is solved by dividing each deposit body into a set of vertical adjoining bars, whereas in the inverse problem, each deposit body is modelled by a homogeneous ellipsoid of revolution (spheroid). Well-known formulae for the z-component of gravitational intensity for a spheroid are transformed to a convenient form. Parameters of a spheroid are determined by minimizing the Tikhonov smoothing functional with constraints on the parameters, which makes the ill-posed inverse problem by unique and stable. The Bulakh algorithm for initial estimating the depth and mass of a deposit is modified. The proposed technique is illustrated by numerical model examples of deposits in the form of two and five bodies. The inverse gravimetry problem is interpreted as a gravitational tomography problem or, in other words, as "introscopy" of Earth's crust and mantle.