G-Qube Technical

Airborne gravity gradiometry data is of much higher resolution than conventional gravity data. This arises firstly because the power in the gradient signal is concentrated at higher spatial frequencies and secondly the gradiometer is far less sensitive to aircraft motion. The latter negating the need for heavy filtering of the data to suppress noise. The signal to noise plots of gradiometry and gravity depicting their respective responses to a broadband geologic model are shown in the animation below (green area is where gravity has improved signal to noise, red area is where gradiometry has improved signal to noise).

Click play to see the signal to noise of gravity, gravity gradiometry and G-Qube.

This fundamental relationship between the two measurement techniques has meant that conventional gravity is regarded as superior for basin scale exploration, where longer wavelengths are measured with improved signal to noise. Gravity Gradiometry however, is widely accepted as excellent at shorter wavelengths or shallower geologic targets/features.

In order to benefit from both measurement techniques, ARKeX, using proprietary techniques, combines the long wavelength signals in the gravity measurements with the high bandwidth signals in the gravity gradient data.

To enable cost effective surveying of large frontier areas, the line spacing is typically greater than 300m (most commonly 1Km). The resultant G-Qube data set represents a 4x-6x improvement in wavelength resolution over conventional airborne gravity with a significantly improved signal to noise at all wavelengths shorter than 18Km (3.4 mHz). This is shown by the yellow line in the animation above.

By combining gravity and gravity gradiometry, G-Qube provides a geophysical measurement with increased bandwidth and an improved signal-to-noise ratio over conventional gravity, delivering an improved earth model with greater exploration value. With the enhanced information that G-Qube delivers, further exploration can be planned with greater confidence and reduced risk.

Talk to ARKeX now about how G-Qube can help add value to your exploration programme

Technical Specification

Gradiometry Spec Inline RMS sum 30E @ 0.062Hz (1Km wavelength) Turbulence acceptance levels 120,000 mgals GMA Spec Turbulence acceptance levels 120,000 mgals Constant altitude/Loose drape Adequate GPS acceleration determination (post-processed) Height Tolerances 20m over 2km

Line spacing Typically > 300m Driven by geology and survey objectives Deliverables Gz, Gzx, Gzy Magnetic data Final noise on grid data 0.1mgal at 0.062Hz ( @ 500m line spacing)