Application of deformation theory for integrated modeling of gravity gradiometry and magnetic field data

Today gravity and magnetic field measurements are acquired in grids with high resolution and accuracy. Magnetic field measurements have already been proven for superior accuracy and practicality. Modern gravity gradiometry instruments have boosted the practicality of gravity field measurements for many subsurface problems. As a result of this, advanced algorithms are needed for quantitative integration of the two fields for a specific subsurface problem. These fields are correlated by Poisson relation as a first order approximation. However, subsurface sources generally show large deviations from the ideal conditions; in this case a generalized Poisson relation may be proposed as a perturbation of the ideal conditions. In this study, we take advantage of the abstraction of the deformation theory between two metric fields, and implement it between the two geophysical fields. In this generalized approach, the different geophysical fields are loosely correlated by Poisson relation; so the calculated deformation reflects the deviations from ideal density/susceptibility relationships for the subsurface structure. The resulting deformation field can then be used for detection of a known target with an expected deformation field. The present method introduces a novel algorithm for integration of the gravity gradiometry and magnetic field data. In this method, the results can be directly interpreted without making individual density and magnetic susceptibility assumptions. The method also intrinsically overcomes the scale problem between the two potential fields.