Computation of gravity anomalies caused by three-dimensional bodies of arbitrary shape and arbitrary varying density

Summary A numerical method is proposed which enables a direct computation of the vertical gravity anomaly due to three-dimensional bodies of arbitrary shape and with an inhomogeneous density distribution. The bodies are approximated by an assembly of appropriate curved finite elements. Gravity effects of such elements are calculated using the Gaussian quadrature formula. The integration domain is simply a cube, into which all the finite elements are transformed. The accuracy of the method is tested on a numerical example.