Delineation of subsurface features by gravity technique in parts of Shivpuri District, M.P.

This research paper represents the search of faults/ fractures/ shear zones/ altered zones, to find out mineral target zones in part of Shivpuri district, M.P. Geologically, the study area is represented by Vindhyan Supergroup of Meso to Neoproterozoic age. The area is mainly covered by alluvium which is characterized river gravels, sand and residual soil. The gravity survey was carried out with a station density of 1 gravity station per 2.5 sq km along with elevations of each gravity stations covered 2800 sq km. The rock samples have been collected from different litho-units of the study area for measurement of physical property (Density) which are useful for understanding & evaluating of geological response. The general trend of contour pattern of Bouguer gravity is NW-SE directions. Bouguer gravity anomaly contour map is characterized by broad gravity ‘high’ in southern part whereas ‘low’ in northern part which inferred depression of basement toward the north. The nosing in aligned approximately NW-SE direction is recorded in central part which may be interpreted as inferred lineament and it is clearly reflected on residual gravity map. The regional gravity anomaly aligned in NW-SE is characterized by broad gravity ‘high’ in southern part whereas ‘low’ in northern part which reflects basement deepening towards north. The majority of Euler 3D solutions are falling on linear bodies (inferred lineament) with varying depths from 0.5 to 2.5 km.

Delineating a Volcanic Aquifer Using Groundwater-induced Gravity Changes in the Tatun Volcano Group, Taiwan

The Tatun Volcanic Group (TVG) is an active volcano that could cause volcanic hazards in northern Taiwan. The latest phreatic eruption of the TVG occurred some 6000 years ago. Understanding the state of groundwater around the TVG can be a crucial step towards effectively assessing the risk of phreatic explosion by providing information about the sources of groundwater and the media it flows. We measured gravity changes at a superconducting gravity station and several groundwater-sensitive sites to examine the way the groundwater altered the gravity values around the TVG. Groundwater-induced gravity changes are simulated by two hydrological models (A and B). Both models show coherent seasonal variations in groundwater level and gravity value in the center of the TVG (Chintiengang). This coherence indicates inter-connected porous media for free groundwater flows below Chintiengang. However, inconsistencies between the modeled and observed gravity changes occurred in the eastern part of the TVG, suggesting here highly heterogeneous formations with fractures and barriers may exist below Chihsinshan and Dayoukeng. The gravity consistencies and inconsistencies between the observations and the models are used to delineate a volcanic aquifer, which can provide additional information for assessing the probability of a potential phreatic eruption over the TVG.

3D Gravity modeling of the volcanic island of Surtsey, Iceland

<p>The formation of the oceanic island Surtsey in the shallow ocean off the south coast of Iceland in 1963-1967 remains one of the best-studied examples of basaltic emergent volcanism to date. The island was built by both explosive, phreatomagmatic phases and by effusive activity forming lava shields covering parts of the explosively formed tuff cones.  Constraints on the subsurface structure of Surtsey achieved mainly based on the documented evolution during eruption and from drill cores in 1979 and in the ICDP-supported SUSTAIN drilling expedition in 2017(an inclined hole, directed 35° from the vertical). The 2017 drilling confirmed the existence of a diatreme, cut into the sedimentary pre-eruption seafloor (Jackson et al., 2019). </p><p>We use 3D-gravity modeling, constrained by the stratigraphy from the drillholes to study the structure of the island and the underlying diatreme.  Detailed gravity data were obtained on Surtsey in July 2014 with a gravity station spacing of ~100 m. Density measurements for the seafloor sedimentary and tephra samples of the surface were carried out using the ASTM1 protocol. By comparing the results with specific gravity measurements of cores from drillhole in 2017, a density contrast of about 200 kg m<sup>-3</sup> was found between the lapilli tuffs of the diatreme and the seafloor sediments.  Our approach is to divide the island into four main units of distinct density: (1) tuffs above sea level, (2) tuffs below sea level, (3) lavas above sea level, and (4) a lava delta below sea level, composed of breccias over which the lava advanced during the effusive eruption.  The boundaries between the bodies are defined from the eruption history and mapping done during the eruption, aided by the drill cores. </p><p>A complete Bouguer anomaly map is obtained by calculating a total terrain correction by applying the Nagy formula to dense DEMs (5 m spacing out to 1.2 km from station, 200 m spacing between 1.2 km and 50 km) of both island topography and ocean bathymetry.  Through the application of both forward and inverse modeling, using the GM-SYS 3D software, the results provide a 3-D model of the island itself, as well as constraints on diatreme shape and depth.</p>

Gravity modeling of the volcanic island of Surtsey, Iceland

<p>The formation of the oceanic island Surtsey in the shallow ocean off the south coast of Iceland in 1963-1967 remains one of the best-studied examples of basaltic emergent volcanism to date. The island was built by both explosive, phreatomagmatic phases and by effusive activity forming lava shields covering parts of the explosively formed tuff cones.   A detailed gravity survey was carried out on Surtsey in July 2014 with a gravity station spacing of ~100 m.  We analyse these data in order to refine a 2.5D-structural and density model of the internal structure for this type locality of Surtseyan volcanism.  We carry out a complete Bouguer correction of these data using total terrain corrections based on detailed DEMs of the island and the submarine bathymetry.  The principal components of the island are the two tuff cones composed principally of lapilli tuff; this was originally phreatomagmatic tephra formed in the explosive phases of the eruption. Lapilli tuff can be subdivided into (1) submarine lapilli tuff and (2) lapilli tuff above sea level. Other units are (3) subaerial lava, and (4) subaqueous lava deltas. Minor components that are volumetrically insignificant are small intrusions, and unconsolidated and unaltered tephra, still found in thin layers flanking the tuff cones.  An additional formation, relevant for any analysis of the subsurface structure of Surtsey, is (5) the sedimentary rocks making up the seafloor, being at least 100 m thick but probably much thicker.  Using measurements of the density of all the above components, and subdividing the island into different units based on its pattern of growth, we specifically attempt to constrain the width and depth of diatreme structures proposed by Moore (1985) and confirmed in the ICDP SUSTAIN drilling of Surtsey in 2017 (Jackson et al., 2019).  Our forward modeling is aided by a detailed subdivision of the island into units (1) to (4) based on repeated mapping of the island during 1964-1967.</p><p> </p><p>Moore, J. G., 1985, Geological Magazine 122, 649–661</p><p>Jackson, M. D., et al. 2019, Scientific Drilling 25, 35–46.</p>

Seafloor observatory capable of automatically adjusting attitude and maintaining the fixed position for observation

Seafloor observatory are becoming more and more important in multidisciplinary observations of the seabed, but real-time, long-term and fixed locations observation are still difficult to achieve. This paper describes a new technology that divides the seafloor observatory into three modules: mobile docker, scientific instrument cabin and in-situ gravity station and uses buoys or photoelectric composite cables to meet the above three requirements. After design and manufacture, the workflow of the seafloor observatory was simulated through a pool test. The handling performance of the mobile docker, the reliability of the docking between the three modules and the performance of the in-situ gravity station to adjust its attitude were proved. It has been preliminarily proved that this seafloor observatory has application value.

New Geodetic and Gravimetric Maps to Infer Geodynamics of Antarctica with Insights on Victoria Land

In order to make inferences on the geodynamics of Antarctica, geodetic and gravimetric maps derived from past and new observations can be used. This paper provides new insights into the geodynamics of Antarctica by integrating data at regional and continental scales. In particular, signatures of geodynamic activity at a regional extent have been investigated in Victoria Land (VL, Antarctica) by means of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) permanent station observations, data from the VLNDEF (Victoria Land Network for Deformation control) discontinuous network, and gravity station measurements. At the continental scale, episodic GNSS observations on VLNDEF sites collected for 20 years, together with continuous data from the International GNSS Service (IGS) and Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET) sites, were processed, and the Euler pole position assessed with the angular velocity of the Antarctic plate. Both the Bouguer and the free-air gravity anomaly maps were obtained by integrating the available open-access geophysics dataset, and a compilation of 180 gravity measurements collected in the VL within the Italian National Program for Antarctic Research (PNRA) activities. As a result, new evidence has been detected at regional and continental scale. The main absolute motion of VL is towards SE (Ve 9.9 ± 0.26 mm/yr, Vn −11.9 ± 0.27 mm/yr) with a pattern similar to the transforms of the Tasman and Balleny fracture zones produced as consequence of Southern Ocean spreading. Residual velocities of the GNSS stations located in VL confirm the active role of the two main tectonic lineaments of the region, the Rennick–Aviator and the Lillie–Tucker faults with right-lateral sense of shear. The resulting VL gravity anomalies show a NW region characterized by small sized Bouguer anomaly with high uplift rates associated and a SE region with low values of Bouguer anomaly and general subsidence phenomena. The East and West Antarctica are characterized by a different thickness of the Earth’s crust, and the relative velocities obtained by the observed GNSS data confirm that movements between the two regions are negligible. In East Antarctica, the roots of the main subglacial highlands, Gamburtsev Mts and Dronning Maud Land, are present. The Northern Victoria Land (NVL) is characterized by more scattered anomalies. These confirm the differences between the Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) modeled and observed uplift rates that could be related to deep-seated, regional scale structures.

Fast iterative equivalent-layer technique for gravity data processing: A method grounded on excess mass constraint

We have developed a new iterative scheme for processing gravity data using a fast equivalent-layer technique. This scheme estimates a 2D mass distribution on a fictitious layer located below the observation surface and with finite horizontal dimensions composed by a set of point masses, one directly beneath each gravity station. Our method starts from an initial mass distribution that is proportional to the observed gravity data. Iteratively, our approach updates the mass distribution by adding mass corrections that are proportional to the gravity residuals. At each iteration, the computation of the residual is accomplished by the forward modeling of the vertical component of the gravitational attraction produced by all point masses setting up the equivalent layer. Our method is grounded on the excess of mass and on the positive correlation between the observed gravity data and the masses on the equivalent layer. Mathematically, the algorithm is formulated as an iterative least-squares method that requires neither matrix multiplications nor the solution of linear systems, leading to the processing of large data sets. The time spent on the forward modeling accounts for much of the total computation time, but this modeling demands a small computational effort. We numerically prove the stability of our method by comparing our solution with the one obtained via the classic equivalent-layer technique with the zeroth-order Tikhonov regularization. After estimating the mass distribution, we obtain a desired processed data by multiplying the matrix of the Green’s functions associated with the desired processing by the estimated mass distribution. We have applied the proposed method to interpolate, calculate the horizontal components, and continue gravity data upward (or downward). Testing on field data from the Vinton salt dome, Louisiana, USA, confirms the potential of our approach in processing large gravity data set over on undulating surface.