National Gravity Compilation 2019 DGIR 0.5VD Grid: Gravity Anomalies Over Australia

Australia and its continental margins are covered by this gravity anomaly grid derived from nearly 1.4 million ground and marine stations. The grid has a cell size of 0.00417 degrees (approximately 435m) and shows the half vertical derivative of de-trended global isostatic residual anomalies. Data were compiled from the Australian National Gravity Database as of September 2019, supplemented by offshore data from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA, and NGA.

Use Cases

• Model subsurface geological structure based on gravity anomaly patterns.
• Identify density variations in the Earth's crust for mineral exploration.
• Integrate gravity data with other geophysical datasets for regional geological mapping.
• Study continental margin geology based on offshore gravity data sourced from global grids.

Strengths

• Derived from nearly 1.4 million gravity stations, indicating a substantial observational base.
• Cell size of approximately 435 meters provides a relatively high-resolution grid.
• Data quality was checked by GA geophysicists to ensure fitness for purpose.
• Incorporates ground observations from the 1940s to present day, offering historical depth.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Station spacing varies from 11 km to less than 1 km, leading to uneven data density across the continent.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, incorporating data from Commonwealth, State, Territory Governments, industry, universities, and research organisations.

Collection Method

Ground and marine gravity observations processed via standard methods and FFT calculations.

Time Range

1940s to present day (with database snapshot from September 2019).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 04:38:16.973651; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia and its continental margins.