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Gravity Survey Corrections Guide

Earth tides caused by the sun and moon produce time- and latitude-dependent variations in gravity that are greatest at low latitudes, with a periodic component of around 12 hours. The tidal effect is small, not exceeding 0.3 mGal, but should be accounted for in high-precision surveys. Formulas exist to calculate the tidal effect for any location and time. For less precise surveys, the tidal effect can be assumed to change linearly over several hours and removed along with other temporal adjustments like instrumental drift. The Eotvos effect must also be accounted for in gravity measurements made from moving platforms like ships or planes, as an observer's increased or decreased angular velocity due to eastward or westward motion slightly reduces

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97 views1 page

Gravity Survey Corrections Guide

Earth tides caused by the sun and moon produce time- and latitude-dependent variations in gravity that are greatest at low latitudes, with a periodic component of around 12 hours. The tidal effect is small, not exceeding 0.3 mGal, but should be accounted for in high-precision surveys. Formulas exist to calculate the tidal effect for any location and time. For less precise surveys, the tidal effect can be assumed to change linearly over several hours and removed along with other temporal adjustments like instrumental drift. The Eotvos effect must also be accounted for in gravity measurements made from moving platforms like ships or planes, as an observer's increased or decreased angular velocity due to eastward or westward motion slightly reduces

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Septiwiandari
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

7.3.

2 Tidal Correction
Earth-tides caused by the sun and moon are of sufficient amplitude to be detected by gravity meters as
time-varying gravity. The effect is both time- and latitude-dependent; it is greatest at low latitudes and has
a strong periodic component with period on the order of 12 hours. The tidal effect never exceeds 3 x 10~6
m-sec~2 (0.3 mGal), a small quantity in comparison to other corrections to observed gravity.
Nevertheless, tidal effects should be accounted for in high-precision surveys. Formulas exist to calculate
the tidal effect at any time and at any place on the earth's surface (Longman [166]). It may be appropriate
in less precise surveys to assume that the tidal effect is linear over periods of several hours and to remove
the tidal effect along with other temporal adjustments. For example, most gravity meters used in gravity
surveys produce readings that drift slightly over the course of a day's fieldwork. This problem usually is
treated by reoccupying certain observation points at various times during the day, assuming that drift has
been linear between the repeated measurements, and subtracting the linear drift from all other readings.
The tidal effect can be considered part of the instrumental drift.
7.3.3 Eotvos Correction
As discussed in Section 7.2, the attraction of the earth at a point fixed with respect to the earth is reduced
by the centrifugal force related to the earth's rotation. It stands to reason that the angular velocity of an
observer moving east is greater than for an observer remaining stationary with respect to the earth's
surface, and consequently gravitational attraction will be slightly reduced for the moving observer.
Likewise, gravitational attraction will be slightly increased for an observer moving in a westerly direction.
This motion-related effect, called the Eotvos effect, must be accounted for in gravity measurements made
on moving platforms, such as ships or aircraft. The Eotvos correction is given by gE = 7.503 v cos A sin a
+ 0.004154 v2 , where v is in knots, a is heading with respect to true north, A is latitude, and g^ is in
mGal. The Eotvos correction can reach significant magnitudes in applications involving moving
platforms. For example, the Eotvos correction is 5.4xlO~5 m-sec~2 (5.4 mGal) for gravity measurements
made on a ship at latitude 45N heading easterly at 1 knot. Errors in heading or velocity, therefore, can
produce errors in reduced gravity measurements that are similar in magnitude to anomalies caused by
typical crustal sources. Indeed, the Eotvos correction is often the limiting factor in the precision of
shipborne and airborne surveys.

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