Geophysical Data Grids for the Conterminous United States by United States Geological Survey 2026-10-24
The gravity anomaly section distinguishes free-air correction, simple Bouguer slab correction and complete terrain reduction.
A gravity anomaly is measured gravity minus a specified reference gravity after the stated reductions. A Bouguer gravity anomaly aims to remove the predictable effects of latitude, observation elevation and surrounding topographic mass, so residual variations can be related to subsurface geophysical density contrasts.
Measure relative gravity with a calibrated gravimeter at stations across and beyond the crater, and survey station positions and elevations accurately, preferably with GNSS tied to a reference datum. Repeat a base station through the day to estimate instrument drift and tie the traverse to a gravity datum. Record station times, because tidal and drift corrections are time dependent.
Apply instrument scale and drift corrections, solid-Earth and relevant ocean-loading tidal corrections, latitude/reference-ellipsoid gravity subtraction, the free-air correction, the Bouguer slab correction for material between station and datum, and a terrain correction for departures from a flat slab. The crater’s strong relief makes the last correction important. A local regional-field/background estimate is also needed if the target is the crater’s residual anomaly. State the reduction density; it is not the inferred breccia density.[ref]
Geophysical Data Grids for the Conterminous United States by United States Geological Survey. Gravity-anomaly discussion: latitude, free-air, simple Bouguer and terrain reductions
For a fixed land traverse there is no moving-platform Eötvös correction to add.A gravity anomaly is measured gravitational acceleration, reduced to a stated reference surface and compared with a reference gravity field. A local geological interpretation further removes or models the regional background. An absolute negative Bouguer gravity anomaly is therefore not itself a local negative geophysical density contrast.
Measure relative gravity with a calibrated gravimeter at stations across the profile, tie it to a base station, repeat base readings to estimate instrumental drift, and measure station coordinates and accurate elevations, for example by GNSS and levelling. Record observation times for tide corrections. Subtract the latitude-dependent reference gravity, correct instrument drift and Earth tides, add the free-air correction for station height, and subtract the attraction of the reference-density Bouguer slab. A terrain correction accounts for relief missing from or exceeding that slab. Use a consistent density such as for the topographic correction.[ref]
Geophysical Data Grids for the Conterminous United States by United States Geological Survey. Gravity anomaly reduction: free-air, simple-Bouguer and complete-Bouguer corrections
A gravity anomaly is the difference between observed gravitational acceleration and a specified reference prediction after defined reductions. A free-air gravity anomaly, a Bouguer gravity anomaly, and a residual local gravity anomaly differ because they remove different reference contributions. State the reference ellipsoid, datum, reference density, and regional trend before interpreting an anomaly as a subsurface geophysical density contrast.
On land, tie gravimeter observations to a gravity base, calibrate them, correct instrumental drift and Earth tides, and determine station latitude and elevation accurately. Subtract latitude-dependent normal gravity . Reduce to the reference elevation using a positive free-air correction for a station above that datum: about for in metres. A simple Bouguer gravity anomaly then subtracts attraction of the intervening rock slab and adds the conventional terrain correction:with all acceleration terms expressed consistently. In SI units .
At sea, also correct vessel-motion effects, especially the Eötvös correction from east–west vessel motion and Earth rotation, and vertical ship acceleration; average or filter the moving-platform data appropriately. GPS navigation and tide information specify position and measurement height. Sea-surface measurements give a marine free-air gravity anomaly after motion, latitude, tide and height reductions. A marine Bouguer gravity anomaly additionally allows for measured bathymetry and the replacement of low-density water by reference rock; the simple water-column replacement correction is positive, , relative to the sea-surface free-air value. A consistent three-dimensional bathymetric correction is preferable near irregular coasts. Remove a justified broad regional field if the intended quantity is a residual anomaly of the local body.