National Gravity Compilation 2019: DGIR 1VD Image of Australia

Australia and its continental margins are covered by a gravity anomaly image derived from approximately 1.8 million ground and airborne observations. The grid has a cell size of 0.00417 degrees (approximately 435m) and represents the first vertical derivative of de-trended global isostatic residual anomalies. The data were compiled by Geoscience Australia (GA) from sources including the Australian National Gravity Database and global grids, with observations collected from the 1940s to 2019.

Use Cases

• Model subsurface geological structures based on gravity anomaly patterns.
• Interpret crustal density variations based on de-trended global isostatic residual (DGIR) data.
• Map regional geological features based on the combined ground and airborne gravity survey coverage.
• Calibrate or validate other geophysical models based on the processed and quality-checked gravity grid.

Strengths

• Integrates nearly 1.4 million ground stations and over 451,000 line km of airborne surveys.
• Grid cell resolution is approximately 435 meters.
• Data quality is checked by GA geophysicists to ensure fitness for purpose.
• Combines historical data from the 1940s with modern surveys up to 2019.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic or source bias inherent to the compilation method.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia (GA), Australian National Gravity Database, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA, NGA.

Collection Method

Processed from ground observations, offshore global grids, and airborne gravity/gradiometry surveys.

Time Range

1940s to 2019 (observations), compiled in 2019.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 01:43:35.853896; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia and its continental margins.