Complete Bouguer Gravity Anomaly Map of Onshore Australia

Over 1.39 million gravity station observations from the Australian National Gravity Database and a 2013 Riverina survey were compiled to generate this complete Bouguer anomaly image. The Australian Ocean Data Network produced this composite, which integrates data collected by government, industry, and academia from the 1940s to 2016. Terrain corrections were applied using offshore bathymetry and onshore topography data.

Use Cases

• Analyze subsurface geological structures by interpreting the complete Bouguer anomaly values across the continent.
• Correlate gravity anomaly patterns with known mineral deposits or geological provinces for exploration targeting.
• Validate or refine regional geophysical models using the terrain-corrected data derived from bathymetry and topography.
• Study continental-scale tectonic features through the hue-saturation-intensity enhanced and sun-shaded image representation.

Strengths

• Derived from a substantial base of over 1.39 million individual gravity station observations.
• Incorporates data from a long temporal range, with records spanning from the 1940s to 2016.
• Applies terrain corrections using both offshore bathymetry and onshore topography datasets.

Limitations

• The underlying data is a snapshot as of February 2016 and does not include newer surveys.
• Primary data is delivered as processed image files (PDF, ZIP), limiting direct access to raw station values or grid data.
• Specific details on observation density, spatial resolution, or uncertainty metrics for the derived grid are not provided.

Provenance

Source

Australian National Gravity Database (ANGD) and the 2013 New South Wales Riverina gravity survey.

Collection Method

Observations acquired by Commonwealth, State, and Territory Governments, the mining industry, universities, and research organizations.

Time Range

1940s to 2016.

Freshness

Data reflects observations up to February 2016, though the platform record was updated in 2026.

Geography

Onshore continental Australia.