Terrain correcting Australian gravity observations using the national digital elevation model and the fast Fourier transform

Abstract

The release of a digital elevation model (DEM) for Australia on a 9″ (∼250 m) grid has enabled the computation of gravimetric terrain corrections thus allowing the computation of complete Bouguer anomalies across the continent. The terrain correction was calculated through a two‐dimensional fast Fourier transform algorithm applied to a linear, planar approximation of the terrain‐correction formula, and with a constant topographic density of 2670 kg.m‐3. The technique was applied to two datasets in order to test for instabilities in the terrain‐correction algorithm: the original 9″ DEM, and a 27″ DEM averaged from the 9″ data. The 27″ terrain corrections were compared with values supplied by the Australian Geological Survey Organisation in Tasmania: 86% of these data were found to agree within 3.91 μm.s‐2; 98% agreed to within 5.32 μm.s‐2 (1σ).