A gravimeter is simply a very precise weighing machine used to find the weight of a certain lump of metal or other material

at a series of stations distributed over the area being surveyed. Since the weight of an object is its response to the Earth's gravitational attraction, this weight will be slightly affected by the nature of subsurface materials at the place of measurement. It will be slightly larger, for example, at stations where the subsurface material is of higher density or where dense material comes closer to the surface. The changes in weight are so small that the weighing machine must be capable of detecting changes of the order of one part in ten million. Gravimeters must not only resolve small variations in the gravity field, but must also remain stable over a large range of values and environmental conditions. It is therefore required that practical instruments must be highly precise, portable, robust, simple to use and relatively inexpensive. All gravity meters have inherent limitations, however, and survey objectives must be consistent with the particular equipment deployed. There are clear distinctions between making absolute measurements of gravity and measuring relative gravity, or variation from place to place.

 Historically, absolute measurements of gravity have provided key data for global mapping (geodetic) studies and tie points for linking independent exploration surveys. Absolute determinations of gravity are now relatively rare, but can still be made using a variety of devices based on the timing of a free-falling weight. Other methods, viz., the periodicity of a fixed pendulum can be used to make absolute measurements of gravity. There is little benefit these days in obtaining absolute determinations of gravity. Detailed exploration surveys almost always use relative determinations based on a simple spring balance. The operating principle is simple. A small change in gravity varies the force acting on a constant mass suspended from a spring. The external force required to hold the mass in its null position provides a measure of the gravity at the station, relative to other stations.

 There are three main classes of gravity measuring instruments: Pendulums - where the period of the pendulum is inversely proportional to g Sensitive spring balances - where the spring extension is proportional to g Free falling bodies where the time of free fall over a fixed distance is proportional to g

 The earths gravity field, like the earths magnetic field, is an invisible force field. In the late 1600s Isaac Newton demonstrated the relationship between the density (or mass) of objects and gravitational attraction between them. He theorized the gravitational pull between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their masses. In mathematical terms: F = (G)(m1)(m2) / r2 , where F is the force of gravity, m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects, and r is the distance between the centers of the two objects, and G is the gravitational constant. Any two objects have some gravitational force of attraction between them. The amount of attraction decreases as the distance between the objects increases.

One might think of the gravitational force field of the earth as vectors radiating outward from its center. The strength of the field decreases outward along the vectors. Knowing the distance between the earths center and the center of any object on the surface, and knowing the mass of the earth and the object, the gravitational force can be calculated. It would seem a simple matter to make this calculation, however, it is not quite that simple for two reasons. First, the earths gravitational field is not completely uniform because the earth is not completely round. The field is proportional to the radius of the Earth (remember r2 in the equation above). The radius of the earth varies slightly from the poles to the equator (the radius at the equator is 21 km longer than the radius at the poles). Additionally, the surface of the earth is not smooth, but instead has many topographic irregularities, such as mountains and oceans. Second, the mass of the earth is not uniform. The mass of the core (solid iron and nickel) is much greater than the mass of crustal material. Furthermore, the crustal portion of the earth is made of a wide variety of different rock types, each with a different density depending on its composition. For example, basalt has a very high density compared to rhyolite.

 Gravity Surveys The standard method of measuring the force of the earths gravitational field is to measure the acceleration due to gravity, which was defined by Isaac Newton: g = (G)(m1) / r2 (where g is the acceleration due to gravity), and F = (m2)(g). What the formula implies is that an object which is dropped from some height accelerates (increases its velocity) as it falls. The acceleration can be calculated by measuring the velocity at two different times during the fall. Likewise, the gravitational force, or gravity field, can be calculated at any specific location on the earth using the same principle. The value of the gravity field (acceleration) is directly related to the mass (density) of the earth beneath the station where the measurement is made. The acceleration is measured with an instrument called a gravimeter. A gravimeter measures the acceleration by sensing the pull by the earths gravitational field on a mass suspended from a very sensitive spring. Gravity measurements made anywhere on the earth vary by only a few percent. Gravity surveys use the milligal or mgal (=0.0001 gal.) as the standard unit of measure (named after Galileo). The acceleration for one gal is equal to 1 cm per second per second.

Gravity Data Reduction Before the field data is plotted, it must be reduced, which is the process of removing effects of local features which mask the true gravity value at any given location. This brings the measurements to a common imaginary spherical surface called a geoid. If after the corrections are made an anomalous gravity value still exists, then it is considered real. Numerous corrections are made, and only a few of these are described below: Free Air Correction: The height above sea level will have an obvious effect on the gravity value, because the higher the elevation (ie, the further from the earths center) the lower the gravity measurement will be. Measurements collected at higher elevations must be corrected with a positive correction factor; lower elevation measurements are corrected with a negative correction factor. Bouguer Correction: This correction is also related to elevation. It accounts for the gravitational attraction of the subsurface by approximating the density of the rocks underlying the station. It assumes an infinite slab of specified density lies between the station and sea level. The thickness of the slab is equivalent to the elevation of the station above sea level. This correction can have either a positive or negative effect, depending on the density assumed for the slab. Latitude Correction: As mentioned, the earth is not a perfect sphere. Instead, its radius is larger at the equator than at the poles. Polar regions have higher gravity values, so a negative correction is made. Terrain Correction: If a measurement is made at the base of a hill, the mass of the portion of the hill situated topographically above the station causes an upward pull due to the attraction of the mass of the hill. Since this counteracts the pull downward by the gravitational field, a negative correction must be made. Likewise, if a measurement is made adjacent to a depression such as a large valley, a positive correction must be made.