5min 17s Novice
How can we use a gravimeter to find buried objects?
Differences in the gravitational acceleration from one location to the next are tiny, so we don’t feel them as we move about the Earth. That is to say, gravity isn’t the same everywhere. In fact, it varies across globe due to both elevation and buried objects, such as ore bodies or tunnels.
Newton’s law (remember the proverbial apple that fell back in about 1686?) says there is a gravitational attraction between any objects that have mass. So, to locate subsurface features or objects, we need to measure the gravitational attraction that the earth exerts at locations near buried features.
To measure gravity we use a "gravimeter". This animation describes both Newton's equation and how a gravimeter works.
This video defines what the near-surface is, why geophysicists are interested in it, tools used to study it, and how near-surface geophysics can help communities.
This module discusses gravity and magnetics geophysics field techniques and how to use them, including identifying buried objects and exploring the environment.
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