INVERSION OF GRAVITY PROFILES BY USE OF A BACKUS‐GILBERT APPROACH

Abstract

Geophysical inversion methods are most effective when applied to linear functionals: it is therefore advantageous to employ linear models for geophysical data. A two‐dimensional linear model consisting of many horizontal prisms has been developed for interpretation of gravity profiles. A Backus‐Gilbert inversion which finds the acceptable model “nearest” to an initial estimate can be rapidly computed; iterative application of the technique allows a single‐density model to be developed at a modest expense in computer time. Gravity data from the Guichon Creek batholith were inverted as a test of the method, with results comparable to those from a standard polygon model.