Automatic generation of 3D geophysical models using curvatures derived from airborne gravity gradient data

A method for automatic 3D model generation derived from airborne gravity gradient data was illustrated. The proposed method computed a volumetric distribution of curvatures that form a 3D image of possible density distributions. The method relies on spectral analysis and the equivalence of the power spectra of the classical mean and differential curvatures of equipotential surfaces to create pseudodepth slices of a quantity that describes the geometry of the surfaces: the shape index. The method was carried out in three steps. First, the pseudodepth slices of the vertical gravity gradient and the magnitude of the differential curvature components were generated. Second, equivalent pseudodepth slices of the shape index were generated. Finally, 3D interpolation was carried out to obtain the final model. The synthetic model data indicated that the vertical density contrasts were well modeled. A 3D model derived from FALCON airborne gravity gradiometer data from the Canning Basin, Australia, was compared to an independently interpreted integrated 3D earth geologic model.