National Gravity Compilation 2019: Airborne DGIR 1VD Image of Australia

Australia and its continental margins are covered by a gravity anomaly image derived from nearly 1.8 million ground and airborne observations. The grid, with a cell size of approximately 435 meters, was generated by Geoscience Australia from data collected from the 1940s to 2019. It represents the first vertical derivative of de-trended global isostatic residual anomalies, processed to reveal sub-surface geological structure.

Use Cases

• Modeling crustal density variations based on processed gravity anomaly data.
• Integrating airborne gravity gradiometry data to improve resolution in areas with sparse ground observations.
• Mapping geological structures for mineral and resource exploration across Australia.
• Calibrating regional geophysical models using a national-scale gravity compilation.

Strengths

• Integrates approximately 1.8 million gravity observations from ground, airborne gravity (345,000 line-km), and airborne gravity gradiometry (106,000 line-km) sources.
• Data quality was checked by GA geophysicists to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.
• Combines long-term data collection from the 1940s onward with modern airborne surveys for improved coverage.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description is highly technical; domain expertise is required for effective use.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia (GA), Australian National Gravity Database (ANGD), and global sources including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA, and NGA.

Collection Method

Data processed from ground observations, airborne gravity, and gravity gradiometry surveys, with standard corrections and FFT processing applied.

Time Range

1940s to 2019 (with database snapshot as of September 2019).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 20:35:56.855886; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia and its continental margins.