Short Communication Modern Standards for Gravity Surveys

The modern gravity meter is capable of determining differences in gravity between measurement sites with very high accuracy. However, the gravity values established by one survey can be related to those established by another survey only when both are tied to gravity base stations whose gravity values are in a uniform system. The benefits of adjusting all measured gravity values to a single datum are manifold. The geodesist, for example, must have world-wide coverage of gravity measurements related to a uniform system for computation of the Earth's level surface configurations. The geologist and geophysicist benefit by being able to use data from several different surveys for uniform structural interpretations on a local, regional and global scale. Having local gravity surveys which are compatible with compilations over broader areas without systematic errors due to datum shifts is essential for regional-residual separations and interpretations over sedimentary basins and crustal blocks. With today's emphasis on economy in all operations, the ability to trade, buy, and/or use existing data in conjunction with new surveys can lead to important cost savings. The absolute gravity datum adopted and recommended for all gravity surveys b