Fractalness of land gravity data and residual isostatic anomalies map of Argentina, Chile and western Uruguay

Abstract

Gravity anomalies are often strongly influenced by topography, which effect is mitigated through appropriate reductions. Usually, a standard value of 2670 kg/m³ is used for the density of topography in the absence of specific information. However, various methods have been implemented to obtain density of topography estimates directly from the gravity data. A particularly suitable technique for regional scale studies is based on analyzing the fractal nature of gravity anomalies for a particular region.
In this paper the fractalness of the onshore gravity anomalies for Argentina, Chile and part of Uruguay is analyzed by using an updated gravity database. The fractal dimensions of the topography and gravity anomaly data were estimated by means of the variogram technique in the spatial domain. As a result of this analysis, it was found that the optimum density for the studied region has a value of 2300 kg/m³ This density was used to prepare a map of isostatic residual anomalies using the Airy-Heiskanen model. The main anomalies recognized on this map were interpreted in relation to the degree of isostatic balance and the densities of rocks near to the surface.