Airborne Gravity 2010 - Geoscience Australia

Airborne Gravity 2010
The Quest
A few final thoughts are provided on the gravity quest. A quest is an act of seeking. It could be called a
search, pursuit, investigation, mission, hunt, or expedition. In any event, it involves the act of looking
ahead. So, we should ask questions that will be directive to help us reach our destination. What will
exploration look like in 2015? In 2025? In 2050? If I am pressed to predict or forecast how the future
will look, here are some of the key elements I would include (DiFrancesco, 2009b):
1. Airborne surveys will be flown at faster speeds and coverage rates and in higher dynamic
conditions.
2. Scalar gravity and gradients will be measured with greater precision.
3. Survey costs for airborne gravity will be significantly lower.
4. Integrated scalar gravity plus second and third order tensor gradient data will be available in a
single service offering.
5. Gravity (scalar and tensor), along with both magnetics and EM, will be configured on the
same survey aircraft so that an economy of scale is realized.
6. A series of significant exploration successes will be attributed to gravity and gradiometry.
7. The market will really understand what gravity and gradiometry can do for them.
Conclusion
It is readily apparent that airborne gravity is becoming a mainstay of the exploration industry.
Technical and operational advances in the past few years have enhanced the capability, and there is a
foundational acceptance for the benefits of these techniques. A growing understanding of gravity
benefits and utility is being communicated to the market in the form of workshops, technical
publications, and first-hand experience. It is also clear that the way things have been done in the past
will not support the needs for the next generation of explorationists. New technology, new approaches,
and out-of-the-box thinking will be necessary to keep airborne gravity relevant and lead the charge to
further exploration success. It is also important to emphasize that the outcome of this workshop must
be more than just the sharing of information and status, but the provision of vision and direction for the
future.
References
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DiFrancesco, D., Meyer, T., Christensen, A., and FitzGerald, D., 2009b, Gravity gradiometry – today
and tomorrow: Expanded Abstracts, 11 th SAGA Biennial Technical Meeting and Exhibition,
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