Rapid imaging of gravity gradiometry data using 2D potential field migration

We introduce 2D potential field migration for the interpretation of gravity gradiometry data. This method is based on a direct integral transformation of the observed gravity gradients into subsurface density distributions which can be used for realtime imaging or as an a priori model for subsequent 3D regularized inversion. Potential field migration is very fast and stable with respect to noise, as it reduces the downward continuation of the migration field to a well-behaved analytic function everywhere in the subsurface. Hence, potential field migration avoids the numerical instabilities of the other imaging methods based on conventional downward continuation. We present a case study for the interpretation of gravity gradiometry data acquired in the Nordkapp Basin in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea. We observe agreement with results obtained from potential field migration with those obtained from 3D regularized inversion.