by B. Marcela S. Bastos1 and Vanderlei C. Oliveira Jr.1
This paper is published at Geophysics.
We propose a non-linear gravity inversion for simultaneously estimating the basement and Moho geometries, as well as the depth of the reference Moho along a profile crossing a passive rifted margin. To obtain stable solutions, we impose smoothness on basement and Moho, force them to be close to previously estimated depths along the profile and also impose local isostatic equilibrium. Differently from previous methods, we introduce the information of local isostatic equilibrium by imposing smoothness on the lithostatic stress exerted at depth. Our method delimits regions that deviates and those that can be considered in local isostatic equilibrium by varying the weight of the isostatic constraint along the profile. Besides, it allows controlling the degree of equilibrium along the profile, so that the interpreter can obtain a set of candidate models that fit the observed data and exhibit different degrees of isostatic equilibrium. Our method also differs from earlier studies because it attempts to use isostasy for exploring (and not necessarily reducing) the inherent ambiguity of gravity methods. Tests with synthetic data illustrate the effect of our isostatic constraint on the estimated basement and Moho reliefs, specially at regions with pronounced crustal thinning, which are typical of passive volcanic margins. Results obtained by inverting satellite data over the Pelotas basin, an example of passive volcanic margin at the southern of Brazil, agree with previous interpretations obtained independently by combining gravity, magnetic and seismic data available to the petroleum industry. These results show that, combined with a priori information, simple isostatic assumptions can be very useful for interpreting gravity data on passive rifted margins.
Schematic representation of the interpretation model approximating a passive rifted margin
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