3D inversion of airborne gravity gradiometry data for the Budgell Harbour Stock, Newfoundland: A case history using a probabilistic approach

Abstract

We have studied the Mesozoic Budgell Harbour Stock, a gabbroic intrusion in north-central Newfoundland, Canada, using 3D inversion of airborne gravity gradiometry data based on a probabilistic inversion method. Significantly, differences were observed between the results when inverting the single [Formula: see text] component and when inverting the 5C combination. We also found that the [Formula: see text] model failed to reproduce the long-wavelength signals from other components, whereas the model recovered from five components accommodated all of the signals from all of the components. To estimate the influence of long-wavelength signals from targets other than the intrusion, such as deeper bodies or large-scale terrain variations, inversion tests are performed on a synthetic model. The inversion results for the synthetic example indicate that the joint inversion of five components is more sensitive to long-wavelength signals, which can generate spurious structures to fit all of the signals from the five components. In contrast, the [Formula: see text] model is less affected by the long-wavelength signals and thus tends to produce a stable solution, despite failing to incorporate all of the long-wavelength signals from the tensor data. We found that gravity gradiometry data could be used to delineate the intrusion within this study area, which is also consistent with the susceptibility model recovered from inversion of aeromagnetic data and with results from a previous geophysical study. Moreover, the differences between the [Formula: see text] model and the 5C model may reflect the long-wavelength signals in the gravity gradiometry data.