Gravity Prospecting Practical Exercises

Lab ( )

1- Calculate the gravity effect directly above a body of nearly spherical shape with a
radius of 200 m, buried at a depth of 300 m, and the density contrast is 0.5 gm/cc.

2- A micro gravity survey is done to find a small cave of spherical shape in poorly
consolidated limestone at shallow depth. The cave is centered at depth of 4.0 m
with radius of 2.0 m below a flat foundation.
You are asked to:
(a) Find the negative maximum gravity value ( gmax ) and the half width of the anomaly (
x 1/ 2) if you know that the density of the limestone is 2.0 gm/cm 3.
(b) If the cave is at 12.0 m depth with a radius of 4.0 m, find the negative gmax and x 1/ 2.
(c) Comment on your results in (a) and (b).
(d) If the cave in (b) is filled with basalt to give a positive maximum gravity anomaly gmax
of 0.0055 mgal, calculate the density of the basalt.
(e) Comment on your results in (b) and (d).

3- A micro gravity survey is done to find a small cave of cylindrical shape in poorly
consolidated limestone at shallow depth. The cave is centered at depth of 5.0 m
with radius 2.0 m below a flat foundation.
You are asked to:
(a) Find the negative maximum gravity value ( gmax ) and the half width of the anomaly (
x 1/ 2) if you know that the density of the limestone is 2.5 gm/cm 3.
(b) If the cave is at 15.0 m depth with a radius of 4.0 m, find the negative gmax and x 1/ 2.
(c) Comment on your results in (a) and (b).

4- The following table represents the Bouguer gravity data taken along a profile normal to
the strike of a horizontal cylindrical body with a density contrast of 0.3 gm/cc with the
surrounding rocks. Please draw the gravity profile and determine the depth, width
and radius of the body.

X (km) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

g (mgal) 12 11.8 11.3 10.3 9 7.7 6 4.8 2.7 1.7 1.4 1.6
Gravity Prospecting Practical Exercises