PURE AND APPLIED GEOPHYSICS

Vol. 88

1971/V

Coefficient Sets For One Dimensional Gravity Operations

Using Filter Theory
By B. N. P. AGARWAL1) and TARKESHWARLAL 1)

Summary- Analytical expressions for the weight coefficients of the upward and downward
continuation, and first and second derivative and their downward continuation operations have
been obtained from their corresponding theoretical amplitude response functions in cut off frequency
region using filter theory. These expressions, along with the smoothing and shortening operators of
Hanning and Hamming types have been utilized to calculate the coefficientsets for each operation.
1. Introduction
The interpretative value of gravity data operations, e.g. upward and downward
continuation, and first and second derivatives, is well known. Several weight coefficient sets have been proposed in the literature to compute their values (HENDERSON
and ZmTz [6] 2), PETERS [7], BARANOV [21, GRANAR [51, etc.).
Basically all these operations act as different types of filters on the gravity data.
In this paper, weight coefficient sets, to compute the upward and downward continuation, and the first and second derivative, have been developed using the characteristic filter response functions of the respective operations. An infinite number of
weight coefficients for each operation can be computed by the method outlined in
this paper. This gives rise to an operator of infinite extent which is not suitable for
practical purposes. To obtain an operator of finite extent, it is essential to shorten
the infinite extent operator by incorporating a suitable smoothing function which
assumes a value zero after certain distance. Two smoothing functions, Hanning and
Hamming type (BLACKMANand TUKEY [3]) have been chosen to shorten the extent of
the operator and also to smooth the weight coefficients.

2. Theory
DEAN [4] has established that all the gravity and magnetic data operations (upward and downward continuation and first and second derivative) act as filters
analogous to filtering action of electrical circuits. Let ~b(x) and ~'(x) be the input and
*) Department of Geophysics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-5 (India).
.2) Numbers in brackets refer to References, page 11.

B.N.P.Agarwal and Tarkeshwar Lal

(Pageoph,

output of a linear filter which are related by convolution integral

c~'(a) = _t" w(x) cb(a - x) dx.

(1)

The function w(x), called the weighting function is a characteristic of the filter. It is
actually the response of the filter to an impulse.
Fourier transform of equation (1) results in a simplified input and output equation
e'(u) = ~(u) r(u)

(2)

where ~'(u), eb(u) and Y(u) are Fourier transforms of qV(x), ~b(x) and w(x) respectively
and u/2 ~ is frequency in cycles per unit length. The function Y(u) is called filter
response of w(x).
The equation (1) can be approximated by following summation
n=+N

(a'(e) _~ Z

w(n Ax) (a(c~- n Ax) Ax

(3)

t ~= ~ N

where the smooth variable has been replaced by the discrete variable n Ax. This
digitalized convolution is exactly the same type of operation as that of applying a
coefficient set of finite extent to a profile of gravity or magnetic data as we do in almost
every operation.
The filter response function Y(u) can be written as
n=

+N

Y(u) ~- E

w(n Ax) e -''''~x

(4)

tt= - N

(DEAN [4]) where i = ~ / ~ l and Ax is data sampling interval.

In order to achieve any desired filtering operation on the gravity or magnetic data,
it is essential to know the corresponding w(n Ax) which can be calculated from the
inverse Fourier transform of Y(u) as
it

w(n Ax) = 1 f

Y(u) e +i'"~x du

(5)

-- Ue

where u c is the cut-off frequency beyond which the Fourier transform of Y(u) is
specified to be zero. In the present case, the cut-off frequency is essentially the Nyquist
frequency, i.e., uc =~/Ax. Thus equation (5) reduces to
+ r:lAx

w(n Ax) =

1 f Y(u)e + ' " n x du.

(6)

-~lAx

Since for all the operations, the filter response functions happen to be even functions,
the equation (6) reduces to

with Ax = 1 and w(n) = w ( - n ) .

Vol. 88, 1971/V)

CoefficientSets For One Dimensional Gravity Operations

AGARWAL and LAL [1] have calculated the general filter response function of Nth
order vertical derivative continuation as
Y(u) =

lul N ezlul

(8)

where z is the depth or height axis and is positive downward. It can be seen that the
filter response function (equation 8) is an even function.
Substituting Y ( u ) from equation (8) in equation (7) we have

f u N eZU cos n u d u .

w(n) =

(9)

Different cases arising from equation (9) for computing the weight coefficient sets
of various operations are discussed below.
Case 1: Upward continuation, i.e., N = 0 , z = - h .
The equation (9) reduces to
Wu(n) = ~

e - u cosn u du
o

(10)
h

- rc h z + n 2 (1 - cos~z

n'e-h~).

Case 2: Downward continuation, i.e., N = 0 , z =h.

The equation (9) can be written as

r~

cos,,du

(11)

h e h
7zh 2 + n 2 [ c o s z c n - - e -h~]
Case 3: First derivative, i.e., N = 1, z =0.

The equation (9) simplifies for this case as

1
-

~ n2 [cos ~ n -

and
w~(O)=-

u du = - .
2
0

13

for n > 0

(12)

B. N. P . A g a r w a l a n d T a r k e s h w a r Lal

(Pageoph,
Table

Derived weight coefficients

U p w a r d c o n t i n u a t i o n (h = 1)

D o w n w a r d c o n t i n u a t i o n (h = 1)

w(n)

w"(n)

w"(n)

w(n)

w'(n)

w"(n)

.304554

.304554

.304554

+7.047601

--7.047601

--7.047601

.166033

.165607

.165641

--3.842110

-- 3.832254

--3.833042

.060911

.060288

.060337

,,1.409520

..1.395094

,,1.396248

.033206

.032444

.032505

--0.768422

--

.750802

--

.752211

.017915

.017189

.017247

-- .414565

,,

.397766

..

.399110

.012772

.011970

.012034

-- .295547

-- .276979

-- .278464

.008231

.007493

.007552

.190476

..

..

.006641

.005840

.005904

.153684

-- .135146

-- .136629

.173406

.174771

.004685

.003856

.004015

..

.108245

..

.091563

-- .092912

.004050

.003264

.003327

--

.093710

--

.075535

-- .076989

10

.003015

.002305

.002362

..

.069778

..

.053344

..

11

.002722

.001960

.002021

--

.062985

--

.045362

-- .046771

,,

.032742

,,

.028265

-- .029620

.020596

--

.021810

..

.014169

.054659

12

.002100

.001415

.001469

-- .048604

13

.001953

.001221

.001280

.045201

14

.001546

.000890

.000942

,,

.035775

15

.001469

.000772

.000827

-- .034001

-- .017862

16

.001185

.000562

.000612

,,

.027422

,,

.013016

17

.001145

.000485

.000538

-- .026497

--

.011242

-- .012463

18

.000937

.000351

.000398

,,

.021685

..

.008125

..

19

.000917

.000299

.000349

-- .021227

--

.006927

20

.000759

.000212

.000256

,,

..

.004918

21

.000751

.000177

.000223

-- .017385

22

.000628

.000122

.000162

..

.014531

..

.002818

..

23

.000626

.000097

.000140

-- .014498

--

.002255

-- .003234

..

.001473

..

.017575

24

.000528

.000064

.000101

..

25

.000530

.000047

.000086

-- .012275

.012214

26

.000450

.000028

.000062

.010410

..

.004094

.019153

,,
-

.001100
.000654

.034011

.008071
.005930
.005158

.009210

..

.003755
.002332
.001994
.001434

27

.000455

.000018

.000053

-- .010526

-- .000426

-- .001234

28

.000388

.000009

.000039

..

..

..

29

.000394

.000004

.000035

-- .009126

30

.000338

,000001

.000028

..

.007822

..

.000010

31

.000345

.000000

.000014

-- .007976

..

.000000

.008978'

.000206
.000093

..
-

.000908
.000816
.000644
.000319

V o l . 88, 1 9 7 1 / V )

Coefficient Sets For One Dimensional

Gravity Operations

of various operations
First vertical derivative

w(n)
+1.570796
- -

.636620

.000000

--

.070736

w'(n)

w"(n)

+1.570796
--

.025465

--

.012992

--

.007859

--

.005261

--

--

.000000
--

.003767

--

.000000
- -

.002829

.002203

--

--

.000000
--

.001763

--

.000000
- -

.001444

.001203

--

.000000
- -

.001019

.000873

- -

.000757

.000000

.500000

.494882

.069114

.069244

--

.222222

--

.217126

--

.217534

.000000

.125000

.119935

.120340

--

.023865

--

--

.495292

.080000

--

.074974

--

.075376

.055556

.050577

.050975

.011550

--

.040816

.035893

--

.036286

.000000

.031250

.026390

.026779

.006457

--

.024691

--

.019902

--

.020285

.000000

.000000

.020000

.015290

.015666

.003789

.003907

--

.016529

--

.011904

.000000

.000000

.013889

-r

.009356

.009719

.002468

--

.011834

.007400

--

.007755

.000000

.010204

.005874

.006221

.001594

--

.008889

.004669

--

.005007

.000000

.000000

.007812

.003708

.004036

.000935

.001036

--

.006920

--

.002936

--

.003255

.000000

.000000

.006173

.002313

.002622

.000670

--

.005540

--

.001808

--

.002106

.000000

.005000

.001399

.001687

.004535

--

.001068

--

.001345

--

.006335

.002356

--

--

.001486

.000575

--

--

.000340

--

.000428

.012274

.000000

.000000

.004132

.000801

.001068

.000187

.000268

--

.003781

--

.000588

--

.000843

.000000

.003472

.000419

.000663

.000116

--

.003200

--

.000287

--

.000520

.000000

.002958

.000186

.000408

.000102

--

.002743

--

.000111

--

.000322

.000000

.002551

.000058

0.00258

.000091

--

.000035

--

.000000
--

--1.995280

.011425

.023993

1.994869

.000000

.000000

.000000
--

+3.289868

--2.000000

.000000
--

.000000
--

+3.289868

.635118

.000000
--

.000000
- -

+3.289868

--

.000000

.000000
--

+1.570796

.000000

90 0 0 0 0 0
--

w"(n)

.000000

90 0 0 0 0 0
--

w'(n)

.000000

90 0 0 0 0 0
--

.634987

w(n)

.000000

90 0 0 0 0 0
--

Second vertical derivative

.000008

.000068

--

.002378

--

.000024

--

.000213

.000000

.000000

.000000

.002222

.000006

.000183

.000663

.000000

.000026

--

.002081

.000000

--

.000083

--

10

B.N.P.Agarwal and Tarkeshwar Lal

(Pageoph,

Case 4: First derivative downward continuation, i.e., N = 1, z =h.

The equation (9) assumes the form

it
wldl(n)~ ! I u ehUcosn u du
o
1
-

eh"

I(

n h2 + n2

2-h-2-'~
1 + h n

h2 +

n2,] cos n n

(13)

h z + nZJ

Case 5: Second derivative, i.e., N = 2 , z =0.

it

w2(n) ~ ! f u 2 cOsu ~, d#.~

o

2 cos n n

for

(14)

n>0

and
2
w2(0) = -.

Case 6: Second derivative downward continuation, i.e., N = 2 , z=h.

w~.(~) =

7.

| u 2 ehu cos u n du
,1
o
(15)

-nh2+n2
"1- 71:

1 + 2h ~- +- n ~)

(h 2 q- n2)2 -1- n

#D(I +.h

2 h 2 "~'~
~]
h2 ~nZ,]j cosn
.

Infinite number of weight coefficients for each operations thus can be calculated
using equations (10) to (15). This gives an operator of infinite extent and hence of no
practical value. It is therefore essential to shorten the extent of these operators by
multiplying the weight coefficients by suitable smoothing function. Two smoothing

Vol. 88, 1971/V)

CoefficientSets For One Dimensional Gravity Operations

l1

functions of Hanning and H a m m i n g type (BLACKMAN and TU~E~C [3]) defined as

s'(n)=

l+cos

=0.

for

]nl=<x

for

Inl>x

and

(16)
nT~
s"(n) = 0.54 + 0.46 c o s - - - for
x
=0.

for

Inl < x
]nl>x

respectively are chosen for this purpose.

Thus the coefficient of the finite extent operator can be calculated from
w'(n) = w(n) s'(n)

(17)

w"(n) = w(n) s"(n).

For all operators derived here, x has been chosen as 31 data interval so that the
maximum loss of record due to operator extent will be 31 data points on each edge
of the record. The coefficients thus calculated using equations (10), (11), 02), (14),
(16) and (17) are presented in Table 1.
REFERENCES
[I] B. N. P. AGARWALand T. LAL,Application of frequency analysis in two dimensional gravity interpretation, Communicated to Geoexploration.
[2] V. BARANOV,Caleul du gradient vertical du champ magn~tique mesur~ h la surface du sol, Geop.
Pros., 1 (1936) 171.
[3] R. B. BLACKMANand J. W. TUKEV,The measurement of power spectra, Dover Publication, N.Y.,
(1959), 14.
[4] W. C. DEAN,Frequency analysis for gravity and magnetic interpretation, Geophysics, 23 (1958), 97.
[5] L. GRANAR,Application of the function Sin x/x to solutions of two dimensional geophysical problem,
Geoexploration, 6 (1968), 23.
[6] R. G. HENDERSONand I. ZIETZ, The upward continuation of anomalies in total magnetic intensity
fields, Geophysics, 14 (1949), 517.
[7l L. J. PETERS,The direct approach to magnetic interpretation and its practical application, Geophysics, 14 (1949), 290.
(Received 25th September 1970)