Gravitational attraction and potential of spherical shell with radially dependent density

Solutions to the direct problem in gravimetric interpretation are well-known for wide class of source bodies with constant density contrast. On the other hand, sources with non-uniform density can lead to relatively complicated formalisms. This is probably why analytical solutions for this type of sources are rather rare although utilization of these bodies can sometimes be very effective in gravity modeling. I demonstrate an analytical solution to that problem for a spherical shell with radial polynomial density distribution, and illustrate this result when applied to a special case of 5th degree polynomial. As a practical example, attraction of the normal atmosphere is calculated.     

Density function evaluation from borehole gravity meter data – regularized spectral domain deconvolution approach

We present a new method of transforming borehole gravity meter data into vertical density logs. This new method is based on the regularized spectral domain deconvolution of density functions. It is a novel alternative to the “classical” approach, which is very sensitive to noise, especially for high‐definition surveys with relatively small sampling steps. The proposed approach responds well to vertical changes of density described by linear and polynomial functions. The model used is a vertical cylinder with large outer radius (flat circular plate) crossed by a synthetic vertical borehole profile. The task is formulated as a minimization problem, and the result is a low‐pass filter (controlled by a regularization parameter) in the spectral domain. This regularized approach is tested on synthetic datasets with noise and gives much more stable solutions than the classical approach based on the infinite Bouguer slab approximation. Next, the tests on real‐world datasets are presented. The properties and presented results make our proposed approach a viable alternative to the other processing methods of borehole gravity meter data based on horizontally layered formations.     

A versatile integral equation technique for magnetic modelling

A requirement currently exists in both mineral exploration and environmental or engineering geophysics for a technique to model the magnetic fields caused by bodies with large to extreme susceptibilities in which both induced and remanent magnetizations are significant. It is well known that modelling such magnetic fields is not amenable to any known approximation. It is a significantly difficult task that requires the solution of a magnetostatic boundary value problem. Analytical solutions to the problem are extremely useful for providing insight but generally of limited application in practical interpretation due to the geometrical complexity of real situations. Available numerical solutions include both volume and surface integral equation formulations. However neither of these are particularly efficient for the purpose. An alternative surface integral equation formulation is presented here which represents the required magnetic field in terms of a double layer over the surface of the body. The technique accommodates both remanent and induced magnetization and is generally applicable to any 3D body in a magnetic environment for which the Green's function is available. The present technique has significant advantages over other integral equation solutions in the geophysical literature. It is particularly economic in terms of the density of the surface discretization and consequently the computational effort. Moreover, it is extremely robust. It is found to yield accurate solutions for the type of thin bodies that cause numerical instability with other surface integral equation approaches.     

Boundary integral equation method for the diffraction of elastic waves using simplified green's functions

An alternate formulation of the ‘substructure deletion method’ suggested by Dasgupta in 1979¹ has been successfully implemented. The idea is to utilize simple Green's functions developed for a surface problem to replace the more complicated Green's functions required for embedded problems while still being able to generate an accurate solution. Since the exterior medium is usually represented by a continuum model, the interior medium in the present approach will also be represented by a continuum model rather than a finite element model as suggested originally, thereby eliminating the incompatibility between the solutions of the interior and exterior media. Detailed studies of the method's accuracy and limitations were performed using two-dimensional examples in wave scattering of canyons and alluvial valleys, problems which are more suitable for this method than the embedded foundation problem. The results obtained indicate that the alternate formulation gives accurate results only when the vertical dimension of the scattering object is not too large; if the aspect ratio (vertical over lateral) exceeds a certain limit, the results will not approach the known results given by boundary integral equation solutions or indirect boundary integral equations no matter what the refinement of the model may be. The greatest advantage of the present method is that the task of calculating Green's functions is reduced significantly; computational time using this new formulation is approximately five times less than for conventional boundary integral equation methods.     

Gravity Anomalies of Arbitrary 3D Polyhedral Bodies with Horizontal and Vertical Mass Contrasts

During the last 15 years, more attention has been paid to derive analytic formulae for the gravitational potential and field of polyhedral mass bodies with complicated polynomial density contrasts, because such formulae can be more suitable to approximate the true mass density variations of the earth (e.g., sedimentary basins and bedrock topography) than methods that use finer volume discretization and constant density contrasts. In this study, we derive analytic formulae for gravity anomalies of arbitrary polyhedral bodies with complicated polynomial density contrasts in 3D space. The anomalous mass density is allowed to vary in both horizontal and vertical directions in a polynomial form of \(\lambda =ax^m+by^n+cz^t\), where m, n, t are nonnegative integers and a, b, c are coefficients of mass density. First, the singular volume integrals of the gravity anomalies are transformed to regular or weakly singular surface integrals over each polygon of the polyhedral body. Then, in terms of the derived singularity-free analytic formulae of these surface integrals, singularity-free analytic formulae for gravity anomalies of arbitrary polyhedral bodies with horizontal and vertical polynomial density contrasts are obtained. For an arbitrary polyhedron, we successfully derived analytic formulae of the gravity potential and the gravity field in the case of \(m\le 1\), \(n\le 1\), \(t\le 1\), and an analytic formula of the gravity potential in the case of \(m=n=t=2\). For a rectangular prism, we derive an analytic formula of the gravity potential for \(m\le 3\), \(n\le 3\) and \(t\le 3\) and closed forms of the gravity field are presented for \(m\le 1\), \(n\le 1\) and \(t\le 4\). Besides generalizing previously published closed-form solutions for cases of constant and linear mass density contrasts to higher polynomial order, to our best knowledge, this is the first time that closed-form solutions are presented for the gravitational potential of a general polyhedral body with quadratic density contrast in all spatial directions and for the vertical gravitational field of a prismatic body with quartic density contrast along the vertical direction. To verify our new analytic formulae, a prismatic model with depth-dependent polynomial density contrast and a polyhedral body in the form of a triangular prism with constant contrast are tested. Excellent agreements between results of published analytic formulae and our results are achieved. Our new analytic formulae are useful tools to compute gravity anomalies of complicated mass density contrasts in the earth, when the observation sites are close to the surface or within mass bodies.     

SIMULTANEOUS INTERACTIVE MAGNETIC AND GRAVITY INVERSION*

Gravity and magnetic anomalies may have the same source but it is always difficult to achieve correlated solutions if interpretations are carried out separately. Therefore it is useful to invert both anomalous gravity and magnetic profiles at the same time, so that the solution mav be more constrained. Existing inversion techniques do not lend themselves equally to this kind of extension, since the parameters—such as density and susceptibility contrasts—should not be related. The algorithms more easily adaptable to simultaneous inversion are those which look for the shape and the position of anomalous bodies with constant unknown density or susceptibility contrasts. In this study, we use the generalized inverse method in the 2 1/2 D case. Parameters are the coordinates of the vertices of the polygonal cross-sections of the anomalous bodies and both density and susceptibility contrasts of each body. The two types of profile to be processed must be superposable but may have different lengths, spacings, and coordinate origins. Both synthetic examples and field data from geologically known areas have been processed, and it appears that the simultaneous inversion technique may provide an important additional degree of control in the interactive interpretation process.     

Wave propagation in semi-infinite media with topographical irregularities using Decoupled Equations Method

In this paper, a novel semi-analytical method, called Decoupled Equations Method (DEM), is presented for modeling of elastic wave propagation in the semi-infinite two-dimensional (2D) media which are involved surface topography. In the DEM, only the boundaries of the problem are discretized by specific subparametric elements, in which special shape functions as well as higher-order Chebyshev mapping functions are implemented. For the shape functions, Kronecker Delta property is satisfied for displacement function. Moreover, the first derivatives of displacement function with respect to the tangential coordinates on the boundaries are assigned to zero at any given node. Employing the weighted residual method and using Clenshaw–Curtis numerical integration, coefficient matrices of the system of equations are transformed into diagonal ones, which leads to a set of decoupled partial differential equations. To evaluate the accuracy of the DEM in the solution of scattering problem of plane waves, cylindrical topographical features of arbitrary shapes are solved. The obtained results present excellent agreement with the analytical solutions and the results from other numerical methods.     

EM MODELLING USING SURFACE INTEGRAL EQUATIONS1

The theory by which the Surface Integral Equation method may be applied to the solution of electromagnetic transmission boundary value problems is presented. For a 3D target of arbitrary electrical property contrast with its host medium excited by an arbitrary time-harmonic source, two integral equations are derived which need to be simultaneously solved for tangential electric and magnetic source density on the target's surface. If the target is 2D, though still excited by an arbitrary source (the 2½ D case), the problem is best solved in the transform domain for a number of different wavenumbers in the target's strike direction. Then a set of four simultaneous scalar integral equations needs to be solved for the components of the surface source density transforms in the target's strike direction and in the direction of the tangent vector to the target's cross-sectional contour. Examples are presented in which the 2½D problem is solved numerically using the method of moments with piecewise linear basis functions. Although the results generally compare well with analytical solutions, or solutions obtained numerically by other means, errors appear in the calculation of the real response of these targets to excitation by a magnetic dipole source at low frequencies. This is attributed to ill-conditioning of the system resulting from a non-unique solution at zero frequency.     

AN ANALYTICAL SOLUTION FOR CALCULATING THE INITIATION OF SEDIMENT MOTION

This paper presents an analytical solution for calculating the initiation of sediment motion and the risk of river bed movement. It thus deals with a fundamental problem in sediment transport, for which no complete analytical solution has yet been found. The analytical solution presented here is based on forces acting on a single grain in state of initiation of sediment motion. The previous procedures for calculating the initiation of sediment motion are complemented by an innovative combination of optical surface measurement technology for determining geometrical parameters and their statistical derivation as well as a novel approach for determining the turbulence effects of velocity fluctuations. This two aspects and the comparison of the solution functions presented here with the well known data and functions of different authors mainly differ the presented solution model for calculating the initiation of sediment motion from previous approaches. The defined values of required geometrical parameters are based on hydraulically laboratory tests with spheres. With this limitations the derivated solution functions permit the calculation of the effective critical transport parameters of a single grain, the calculation of averaged critical parameters for describing the state of initiation of sediment motion on the river bed, the calculation of the probability density of the effective critical velocity as well as the calculation of the risk of river bed movement. The main advantage of the presented model is the closed analytical solution from the equilibrium of forces on a single grain to the solution functions describing the initiation of sediment motion.     

A preliminary prediction analysis of radiation fog

Summary The system of physical equations describing temperature changes near the ground in fog-free air as well as in radiation fog is solved numerically. The variation of the exchange coefficient with height is taken into account using different models while time variations are still disregarded. Temperature changes due to latent heat effects are incorporated in this study. Moreover, the presence of radiative flux divergence is included in an approximate manner.The solution of the problem is presented in terms of graphs showing the development of temperature and water droplet profiles as function of time and height. Computed liquid water content as well as temperature profiles are in general agreement with observations while the vertical growth of fog usually proceeds too rapidly. Concrete suggestions are given of how to improve the model.     

A three-dimensional numerical sea model with eddy viscosity varying piecewise linearly in the vertical

The solution of the three-dimensional linear hydrodynamic equations which describe wind-driven flow in a homogeneous sea are solved using the eigenfunction method. The eddy viscosity is taken to vary piecewise linearly in the vertical over an arbitrary number of layers. Using this formulation the eigenfunctions are given in terms of Bessel functions. The coefficients of integration as well as the eigenvalues are determined accurately such that the boundary conditions are satisfied. Values of the eigenfunctions at any depth can then be determined very fast and to a high degree of accuracy.Current profiles at any position can hence be computed accurately. The expansion of the horizontal component of current converges very fast at all depths.     

Exact solutions ofSH wave equation in transversely isotropic inhomogeneous elastic media

Summary TheSH wave equation in a transversely isotropic inhomogeneous elastic medium, where the elastic parameters and density are functions of vertical coordinate, is considered. A general procedure is given for finding the inhomogeneities for which the equation can be solved in terms of hypergeometric, Whittaker, Bessel and exponential functions. A few simple inhomogeneities and the corresponding solutions in terms of these transcendental functions are presented.     

变密度体重力勘探反演的多解性问题

本文利用经典位论中格林层的概念,证明了: 1.在一个物体内可以有多种密度分布,使其总质量为零,在物体外任一点的位为零; 2.当总质量不变时,在一个固定形状及体积的物体中,可以有多种密度分布,并且处处密度为正,使物体外任一点的位相同; 3.当总质量不变时,在不同形状及不同体积的物体内,可以有多种密度分布,并且处处密度为正,使物体外任一点的位相同。 由此得出结论:总质量不变,若物体的密度不均匀（而且处处为正）,根据重力异常作反演,不能唯一地求出物体的形状;当物体的形状已知时,也不能唯一地求出其密度分布。     

3D Modelling of the electromagnetic response of geophysical targets using the FDTD method1

A publicly available and maintained electromagnetic finite-difference time domain (FDTD) code has been applied to the forward modelling of the response of 1D, 2D and 3D geophysical targets to a vertical magnetic dipole excitation. The FDTD method is used to analyse target responses in the 1 MHz to 100MHz range, where either conduction or displacement currents may have the controlling role. The response of the geophysical target to the excitation is presented as changes in the magnetic field ellipticity. The results of the FDTD code compare favourably with previously published integral equation solutions of the response of 1D targets, and FDTD models calculated with different finite-difference cell sizes are compared to find the effect of model discretization on the solution. The discretization errors, calculated as absolute error in ellipticity, are presented for the different ground geometry models considered, and are, for the most part, below 10% of the integral equation solutions. Finally, the FDTD code is used to calculate the magnetic ellipticity response of a 2D survey and a 3D sounding of complicated geophysical targets. The response of these 2D and 3D targets are too complicated to be verified with integral equation solutions, but show the proper low- and high-frequency responses.     

SOTEM数据一维OCCAM反演及其应用于三维模型的效果

本文基于垂直磁场分量研究了SOTEM数据的一维OCCAM反演方法,并将其应用于理论三维数据及野外实测数据的反演.对于大部分一维模型,OCCAM反演可取得较好的反演效果,且反演结果不依赖于偏移距;噪声对SOTEM数据的OCCAM反演具有较大影响,但当信号含噪水平不超过5%时,反演结果仍具有较好的准确性;若浅层存在较厚的低阻层,OCCAM反演结果对下部地层的分辨能力下降,仅能获得具有平均效应的电阻率.将一维算法应用于SOTEM三维数据的反演,会产生较大的误差,尤其是在异常体边缘地带影响最为严重.该影响程度与异常体和背景电阻率之间的差异有关,对于大多数电性近似呈连续变化的真实大地而言,一维OCCAM反演算法仍可获得较好的效果.最后通过陕西某煤田深部富水性调查的实测SOTEM数据反演验证了本文的研究成果.     

DIFFRACTION BY A WEDGE IN AN ACOUSTIC CONSTANT DENSITY MEDIUM1

A new method is presented for solving the 2D problem of diffraction of a plane wave by a wedge of arbitrary angle in a purely acoustic, constant-density medium with different constant compressional wave speeds inside and outside the wedge. The diffraction problem is formulated as integral equations, and a wavenumber–frequency representation of the scattered field is obtained. With the aid of the Cagniard–de Hoop method, exact analytical expressions in the space–time domain are obtained for the different wave constituents, i.e. geometric optical scattered waves and edge diffracted waves including head waves. These expressions can be computed to any degree of accuracy within reasonable computation times on a computer, and the semi-analytical method of solution presented thus constitutes a means of constructing reference solutions for wedge configurations. Such highly accurate reference solutions are of importance for verification of results that include diffraction phenomena modelled by general numerical approximate methods, e.g. finite differences, finite elements and spectral methods. Examples of such applications of the method of solution are given.     

Analytic Expressions for the Gravity Gradient Tensor of 3D Prisms with Depth-Dependent Density

Variable-density sources have been paid more attention in gravity modeling. We conduct the computation of gravity gradient tensor of given mass sources with variable density in this paper. 3D rectangular prisms, as simple building blocks, can be used to approximate well 3D irregular-shaped sources. A polynomial function of depth can represent flexibly the complicated density variations in each prism. Hence, we derive the analytic expressions in closed form for computing all components of the gravity gradient tensor due to a 3D right rectangular prism with an arbitrary-order polynomial density function of depth. The singularity of the expressions is analyzed. The singular points distribute at the corners of the prism or on some of the lines through the edges of the prism in the lower semi-space containing the prism. The expressions are validated, and their numerical stability is also evaluated through numerical tests. The numerical examples with variable-density prism and basin models show that the expressions within their range of numerical stability are superior in computational accuracy and efficiency to the common solution that sums up the effects of a collection of uniform subprisms, and provide an effective method for computing gravity gradient tensor of 3D irregular-shaped sources with complicated density variation. In addition, the tensor computed with variable density is different in magnitude from that with constant density. It demonstrates the importance of the gravity gradient tensor modeling with variable density.     

Improving the Dupuit–Forchheimer groundwater free surface approximation

For steady two-dimensional free surface flow over a horizontal impervious base, the Dupuit–Forchheimer theory assumes that the vertical component of velocity is zero, even for non-zero accretion rate at the free surface. This is improved by assuming that the vertical velocity component is zero at the base, and is proportional to height above the base. This requires the piezometric head to depend linearly on the square of the height, and the two parameters in this relation can be fitted to the two boundary conditions at the free surface, to give an expression for the free surface slope in terms of accretion, free surface height, and the pressure integral. For problems in which the pressure integral is known explicitly, this first order of ordinary differential equation for the free surface height can be solved numerically. The solutions are more accurate than the Dupuit–Forchheimer expressions for the free surface, and much easier to calculate than numerical solutions to the full two-dimensional problem. Four examples are given, leading to some simple analytical approximations for quantities of interest.     

Can Euler deconvolution outline three-dimensional magnetic sources?

Severe limitations of the standard Euler deconvolution to outline source shapes have been pointed out. However, Euler deconvolution has been widely employed on field data to outline interfaces, as faults and thrust zones. We investigate the limitations of the 3D Euler deconvolution–derived estimates of source dip and volume with the use of reduced-to-the-pole synthetic and field anomalies. The synthetic anomalies are generated by two types of source bodies: (1) uniformly magnetized prisms, presenting either smooth or rough interfaces, and (2) bodies presenting smooth delimiting interfaces but strong internal variation of magnetization intensity. The dip of the first type of body might be estimated from the Euler deconvolution solution cluster if the ratio between the depth to the top and vertical extent is relatively high (>1/4). For the second type of body, besides dip, the source volume can be approximately delimited from the solution cluster envelope, regardless of the referred ratio. We apply Euler deconvolution to two field anomalies which are caused by a curved-shape thrust zone and by a banded iron formation. These anomalies are chosen because they share characteristics with the two types of synthetic bodies. For the thrust zone, the obtained Euler deconvolution solutions show spatial distribution allowing to estimate a source dip that is consistent with the surface geology data, even if the above-mentioned ratio is much less than 1/4. Thus, there are other factors, such as a heterogeneous magnetization, which might be controlling the vertical spreading of the Euler deconvolution solutions in the thrust zone. On the other hand, for the iron-ore formation, the solution cluster spreads out occupying a volume, in accordance with the results obtained with the synthetic sources having internal variation of magnetization intensity. As conclusion, although Euler deconvolution–derived solutions cannot offer accurate estimates of source shapes, they might provide a sufficient degree of reliability in the initial estimates of the source dip and volume, which may be useful in a later phase of more accurate modelling.