Microgravity and Its Applications in Geosciences

Gravity is the most important force which determines the structure and evolution of stars like the Sun as well as the structure and evolution of galaxies. The law of universal gravitation is generally sufficient to describe the gravity of the Earth, the Moon, or the planets orbiting the Sun. With the recent development of sensitive gravimeters, the gravity survey has become one of the most used geophysical tools in applied geosciences for tasks including: exploring for oil and gas fields by studying geological structures and salt dome intrusion, monitoring groundwater and geothermal reservoirs by determining recharge and discharge masses, monitoring volcanic activity and hydrothermal activity beneath volcanoes, monitoring CO2 movement during and after sequestration, locating active faults responsible for big earthquakes, and also exploring mines and detecting local cavities. In this chapter, we present a brief introduction to gravity and Bouguer gravity, the different corrections applied to measured gravity and follow with cases of applied microgravity measurements in different fields of geosciences