Gravity gradiometry

From this information it is possible to build a picture of subsurface anomalies which can then be used to more accurately target oil, gas and mineral deposits.

Physical scientists use gravimeters to determine the exact size and shape of the earth and they contribute to the gravity compensations applied to inertial navigation systems.

The derivative measurement sacrifices the overall energy in the signal, but significantly reduces the noise due to motional disturbance.

This is the principal reason for deploying gradiometers in airborne and marine surveys where the acceleration levels are orders of magnitude greater than the signals of interest.

[1] The surveys highlight gravity anomalies that can be related to geological features such as Salt diapirs, Fault systems, Reef structures, Kimberlite pipes, etc.

Other applications include tunnel and bunker detection[2] and the recent GOCE mission that aims to improve the knowledge of ocean circulation.

A committee was commissioned to seek commercial applications for the Full Tensor Gradient (FTG) system that was developed by Bell Aerospace (later acquired by Lockheed Martin) and was being deployed on US Navy Ohio-class Trident submarines designed to aid covert navigation.

The existence of the gravity gradiometer was famously exposed in the film The Hunt for Red October released in 1990.