ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UKRAINE
INSTITUTE OF GEOPHYSICS

3-D Gravity Modeling Scientific Research Group

The head of the scientific research group — Professor V.I. Starostenko

The Division of Deep Earth's processed and Gravimetry of the Institute of Geophysics NAS of the Ukraine includes a scientific research group whose members are:

Vitaly Starostenko — the group's chief, professor, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics,
Vladlen Buryanov
 — a research worker, interpreter- geophysicist,
Irina Makarenko — Master of Geology and Mineralogy, interpreter-geophysicist,
Olga Legostaeva — Master of Physics and Mathematics, mathematician, programmer.

The domains of the group's interests

1. The purpose of the group is to set up modern powerful and flexible software of solving direct and inverse gravity problems and their use.

2. Interpreting the gravity field in a 3-D version to study the Earth's crust and mantle structure of different regions by using the software complexes that are worked out.

The computer basis

of the researches is an automated complex of solving direct and inverse gravity problems for inhomogeneous 3-D layered media that has been worked out by V.I.Starostenko and O.V.Legostaeva 1,2,3.

The methodical basis

is the method of comparing the obtained gravity effects of Earth's crust of the study structures and the crustal effect of the "normal" (non-activized) Precambrian platforms. The latter has been obtained by summarizing data of density modeling of the Earth's crustusing the results of print and profile DSSs made on platforms of different continents and is – 870 mGal with the observed zero field in the Bouger reduction. For the "normal" mantle the density distribution from 3.32 g/cm3 under the M-discontinuity to 3.55 g/cm3 at the upper mantle base at » 500 km depth is assumed. The calculated density is taken as the difference between the real density and the upper mantle density under the M-discontinuity (3.32 g/cm3), i.e. it is negative values.

The spheres of the group's interests

1. Continental crust— The Western East — European Platform (including the TTZ) and similar regions of other continents.
2. Subcontinental and suboceanic crust — inner seas (Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea a. o.).
3. Oceanic crust — Red Sea.

At present, we perform a 3-D modeling of the Earth's crust of:

1. The East Mediterranean region
2. Volyn' monocline

The results of the studies were presented at the XXIII General Assembly (20-24 April 1998, Nice, France), 9th Tectonic geomorphology and sedimentary basin dynamics (September, 1998, Oliana, Spain), Seventh EUROBRIDGE Workshop (May 26-30 1999, Szelment near Suwalki, Poland), Second Balkan Geophysical Congress and Exhibition (July 5-9, 1999, Istanbul, Turkey), Joint Meeting of EUROPROBE TESZ, PANCARDI AND GEORIFT PROJECTS (25 September - 6 October 1999, Tulcea, Romania).

Abstracts in proceedings of a conference

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