Full-tensor gravity gradient eigenvector analysis for locating complex geological source positions

Abstract. We develop an eigenvector analysis method to locate the centroids and horizontal boundaries of geological structures of full tensor gravity gradient (GGT) data. Although the boundary detection method for Bouguer gravity has been widely discussed and applied, the source location method for GGT data remains an area of active research. In this paper, we first discuss the theoretical basis and physical meaning of the eigenvector analysis on GGT data, and then a new source location method is derived. Unlike traditional potential field boundary detection, the proposed method uses eigenvector analysis to extract the source centroid information. The interference of multiple and overlapping sources and the parameter identification related with the multiple scales of the GGT eigenvector analysis are presented in the theoretical and experimental sections. Finally, the proposed method is applied to synthetic and field data.