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Fast Nonlinear Generalized Inversion of Gravity Data with Application to the Three-Dimensional Crustal Density Structure of Sichuan Basin, Southwest China

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Abstract

Generalized inversion is one of the important steps in the quantitative interpretation of gravity data. With appropriate algorithm and parameters, it gives a view of the subsurface which characterizes different geological bodies. However, generalized inversion of gravity data is time consuming due to the large amount of data points and model cells adopted. Incorporating of various prior information as constraints deteriorates the above situation. In the work discussed in this paper, a method for fast nonlinear generalized inversion of gravity data is proposed. The fast multipole method is employed for forward modelling. The inversion objective function is established with weighted data misfit function along with model objective function. The total objective function is solved by a dataspace algorithm. Moreover, depth weighing factor is used to improve depth resolution of the result, and bound constraint is incorporated by a transfer function to limit the model parameters in a reliable range. The matrix inversion is accomplished by a preconditioned conjugate gradient method. With the above algorithm, equivalent density vectors can be obtained, and interpolation is performed to get the finally density model on the fine mesh in the model domain. Testing on synthetic gravity data demonstrated that the proposed method is faster than conventional generalized inversion algorithm to produce an acceptable solution for gravity inversion problem. The new developed inversion method was also applied for inversion of the gravity data collected over Sichuan basin, southwest China. The established density structure in this study helps understanding the crustal structure of Sichuan basin and provides reference for further oil and gas exploration in this area.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the editors and anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments for improving the paper. We also acknowledge International Gravimetric Bureau (BGI) for providing the WGM2012 global earth model. This work was financially supported by 1) The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Numbers: 41474106 and 41530321) and 2) The National 863 Project of China (Grant Number: 2014AA06A613).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Geo-detection (China University of Geosciences, Beijing), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jun Wang & Xiaohong Meng

  2. School of Geophysics and Information Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jun Wang & Xiaohong Meng

  3. China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Land and Resources, Beijing, 100083, China

    Fang Li

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  1. Jun Wang
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Correspondence to Jun Wang.

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Wang, J., Meng, X. & Li, F. Fast Nonlinear Generalized Inversion of Gravity Data with Application to the Three-Dimensional Crustal Density Structure of Sichuan Basin, Southwest China. Pure Appl. Geophys. 174, 4101–4117 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-017-1635-6

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