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Gravity and Magnetic Studies

Gravity method of exploration.

Remember how geoscientists employ gravity measurements to create maps which can say a lot about what lies below the surface?
The intensity of the gravity field at the surface of the Earth is affected by the shape and rotation of the Earth (latitude), distance from the centre of the Earth (latitude and elevation) and the density variations of the rocks beneath the surface. Measuring the spatial (i.e. from one place to the next) variation of gravity, plus knowing the Earth’s shape and the instrument location, to take care of shape and distance factors, thus provides important information which can be used to calculate density distributions in the lithosphere. Interpretations of these distributions carried out in conjunction with seismic refraction and reflection interpretations gives us a powerful investigative tool because a well-established relationship between the density and seismic velocity of rocks provides a mutual constraint (i.e. check) on the modeling.

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