Resumen de Resolution test of GOCE satellite data applied to density anomalies at crustal and upper mantle levels.
Mireia Peral Millan, Manel Fernández Ortiga, Montserrat Torné i Escasany
The GOCE satellite mission was devised by the European Space Agency to study the Earth’s gravity field with an unprecedented accuracy using gravity gradient data. The goal of this study is to analyze the resolution in terms of shape, minimum size, and density contrast of anomalous bodies related to geological structures that can be identified from GOCE data. A parametric study is performed by calculating the gravity gradients associated with rectangular prisms with fixed aspect ratio of 9:3:1 and varying the size, burial depth, and density contrast, selecting those structures showing amplitudes and wavelength variations comparable to the accuracy of GOCE data. Results show that the minimum size for crustal anomalies to be resolved is 270 x 90 x 30km for a Dr = 500kg/m3, burial depth of 0km, and a computation height of 255km. A minimum size of 585 x 195 x 65km is required for a body with Dr = 50kg/m3 and 200km burial depth. In addition, the application to the 3D case of a passive continental margin than resembles, in its main general trend, the crustal structure of the NW-Iberia shows that the signal of all gravity gradient components is dominated by the crustal thinning associated with the passive continental margins and the corresponding isostatic response.
