Calculation of a stripped gravity map with a high degree of accuracy: a case study of Liptovská Kotlina Basin (Northern Slovakia)

Abstract

The paper deals with the construction and calculation of a stripped gravity map with a high degree of accuracy. In the Western Carpathian basins such types of gravity maps represent the corrected Bouguer anomalies by the gravity effects of the Tertiary sedimentary masses. It means that the resultant stripped gravity map reflects the gravity effects of density inhomogeneities, which are located beneath the pre-Tertiary basement. For determination of this map, the modern progressive forward-modelling gravity method was applied. The advantage of this method in comparison with previous approaches is that it is capable of calculating the 3D gravity effects of the geological bodies with real topography. A case study for presentation of a new and precise stripped gravity map, the Liptovská Kotlina Basin, was chosen, because it is one of the best-surveyed basins in the Western Carpathians. This new gravity map represents, for this moment, the most accurate stripped gravity map in the whole Western Carpathians. It allows construction not only of a very precise 3D gravity model of the sedimentary fill but also enables interpretation of the sources of the gravity anomalies revealed in the stripped gravity map. This interpretation is based on all available geophysical and geological constraining data. It is also supported by 2D analysis of the gravity effects of the main tectonic units building the Liptovská Kotlina Basin.