Recent developments in synthetic earth gravity models in view of the availability of digital terrain and crustal databases of global coverage and increased resolution

Abstract

The basic idea of a synthetic or simulated Earth gravity model (SEGM) is to validate theories and algorithms used in gravity field modelling. However, if a SEGM represents the Earth's gravity field reasonably well it can also be used to identify and interpret local, regional and global interactions between the Earth's interior and its gravity filed. This paper presents an overview of the most recent developments in the construction of SEGMs and their possible use in gravity field recovery including the use of forward gravity field modelling techniques and the application of topographic/isostatic compensation models. Characteristic results of recent global as well as regional computations over Australia are included.