Separation of sources and 3D inversion of gravity and magnetic data for the Thuringian Basin, Germany

Abstract

Separation of sources and 3D inversion of gravity and magnetic data for the Thuringian Basin, Germany We propose a novel methodology for separation of potential field sources and its 3D inversion. New approaches are developed to separate sources: i) in depth using a succession of upward and downward continuation; ii) in the lateral direction by means of approximation with the field of 3D line segments; iii) according to density and magnetization contrast based on pseudo-gravity calculation. Our original inversion algorithms allow the recovery of unknown 3D geometry both for a restricted body of arbitrary shape and for a contact surface. For the first time, we apply our algorithms to joint inversion of gravity and magnetic data for a large area (the Thuringian Basin in central Germany). We separate in depth sources of both gravitational and magnetic anomalies for the whole territory of Thuringia and compare corresponding components. A 3D model of the main sources is presented based on approximation with 3D line segments and their further transforming into a restricted body or a contact surface with the same field.