Mathematical properties and physical meaning of the gravity gradient tensor eigenvalues

Abstract

The eigenvalues of the gravity gradient tensor can be expressed as functions of two parameters: a magnitude and a phase. The decomposition gives physical meaning to the eigenvalues: the magnitude measures the amount of curvature and the phase is related to the type of source. Their understanding allows to propose new quantities to interpret. As an example, a modified phase eigenvalue offers the interpreter an enhanced version of the vertical gravity gradient which is demonstrated with model data and applied to FALCON airborne gravity gradiometer data from the Perth Basin, Australia