Polynomial-based density inversion of gravity anomalies for concealed iron-deposit exploration in North China

Abstract

Inversion of residual gravity anomalies is an important geophysical technique for depicting subsurface density contrasts, for example, for mineral deposits. We have expressed subsurface density variations using depth-variable polynomial functions and developed the polynomial coefficient inversion (PCI) method, which is an alternative method for mapping subsurface density distributions by inverting the coefficients of density-contrast functions. PCI enables the linear inversion of density variations without vertically subdividing the subsurface. Synthetic tests indicate that PCI combines polynomial functions and multiple constraints to highlight the anomalous masses through an iterative process with appropriate weighting parameters. We apply our method to a local investigation of banded iron formation (BIF) deposits in the Hebei Province, North China. The inversion results depict the approximate distribution of the subsurface density contrasts to identify the stratigraphic boundaries of different lithologies and BIF-favorable zones, thus implying that local iron-rich ore bodies may be located at the syncline axis or dip along the faults. The successful application of PCI for the BIF deposits indicates that this method is a promising strategy for density mapping.