Knowledge of the density of the subsurface of a planet is crucial in determining its interior structure, and one can estimate the average bulk crustal density directly using the admittance between topography and gravity, which has been successfully used for the Moon and is being extended to Mars. The interpretation of gravity data is commonly done by computation of a gravity anomaly (GA) by correcting the raw data for a number of factors that impact the gravity field. Depending on the target science, different types of GA can be computed, the interpretation of which have been widely employed in geophysics to explore the interior of the Earth and other planets, through applications in airborne gravity, near-surface geophysics, regional geophysics, and planetary geophysics. Yet how to extract a great variety of information from GAs for applications in geophysics entails further investigation. Over the decades, remarkable progress has been made to extract information from GAs identified from data. For instance, a series of 3D inversion algorithms facilitates the extraction of the subsurface density distribution. With the improved processing based on dense gravity observations that yield high precision and high resolution GAs, more detailed geological information can be unveiled. When using the admittance between topography and gravity to estimate the crustal density, it is essential to identify what kinds of GAs to be used, such as Bouguer gravity or free-air gravity. Also, what appropriate approaches to scrutinize the applications of GAs in various case studies (e.g., calculating the geoid and estimating the elastic thickness) need to be decoded.

This combination of textbook and reference manual provides a comprehensive account of gravity and magnetic methods for exploring the subsurface using surface, marine, airborne and satellite measurements. It describes key current topics and techniques, physical properties of rocks and other Earth materials, and digital data analysis methods used to process and interpret anomalies for subsurface information. Each chapter starts with an overview and concludes by listing key concepts to consolidate new learning. An accompanying website presents problem sets and interactive computer-based exercises, providing hands-on experience of processing, modeling and interpreting data. A comprehensive online suite of full-color case histories illustrates the practical utility of modern gravity and magnetic surveys. This is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses and reference text for research academics and professional geophysicists. It is a valuable resource for all those interested in petroleum, engineering, mineral, environmental, geological and archeological exploration of the lithosphere.

The subjects of the papers that make up the volume vary from the preparation of national maps to examples of the many uses of regional maps. The anomalities that are discussed range in areal dimension from hundreds of kilometers to tons of meters. The majority of the papers illustrate the utility of the maps in mapping structures and lithologic variations wirhin the continenetal crust, the configuration of the crystalline basements rocks, zones of crustal weakness, distribution of extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks and the geometry of sedimentary basins. Most cases are drawn from the United States and Canada, but examples from Europe, Africa, South America and Asia are included.

This text bridges the gap between the classic texts on potential theory and modern books on applied geophysics. It opens with an introduction to potential theory, emphasising those aspects particularly important to earth scientists, such as Laplace's equation, Newtonian potential, magnetic and electrostatic fields, and conduction of heat. The theory is then applied to the interpretation of gravity and magnetic anomalies, drawing on examples from modern geophysical literature. Topics explored include regional and global fields, forward modeling, inverse methods, depth-to-source estimation, ideal bodies, analytical continuation, and spectral analysis. The book includes numerous exercises and a variety of computer subroutines written in FORTRAN. Graduate students and researchers in geophysics will find this book essential.

Consisting of more than 150 articles written by leading experts, this authoritative reference encompasses the entire field of solid-earth geophysics. It describes in detail the state of current knowledge, including advanced instrumentation and techniques, and focuses on important areas of exploration geophysics. It also offers clear and complete coverage of seismology, geodesy, gravimetry, magnetotellurics and related areas in the adjacent disciplines of physics, geology, oceanography and space science.

Providing information about the principles, understanding, and applicability of the gravity exploration method, this text is both a textbook and a reference for anyone engaged in geophysical exploration.

Gravity interpretation involves inversion of data into models, but it is more. Gravity interpretation is used in a “holistic” sense going beyond “inversion”. Inversion is like optimization within certain a priori assumptions, i.e., all anticipated models lie in a limited domain of the a priori errors. No source should exist outside the anticipated model volume, but that is never literally true. Interpretation goes beyond by taking “outside” possibilities into account in the widest sense. Any neglected possibility carries the danger of seriously affecting the interpretation. Gravity interpretation pertains to wider questions such as the shape of the Earth, the nature of the continental and oceanic crust, isostasy, forces and stresses, geol- ical structure, nding useful resources, climate change, etc. Interpretation is often used synonymously with modelling and inversion of observations toward models. Interpretation places the inversion results into the wider geological or economic context and into the framework of science and humanity. Models play a central role in science. They are images of phenomena of the physical world, for example, scale images or metaphors, enabling the human mind to describe observations and re- tionships by abstract mathematical means. Models served orientation and survival in a complex, partly invisible physical and social environment.