Balanced gradient methods for the interpretation of gravity tensor gradient data

•Balanced horizontal derivative filter can recognize the source edges clearly and correctly.•A linear equation based on the derivatives of the BHD is derived to estimate location parameters.•The matrix composed by all balanced gradients can get more accurate results.

Gravity tensor gradient measurement can delineate the anomaly feature of the causative source more clearly, which has been applied extensively. In this paper, balanced gradient methods are presented to interpret gravity tensor gradient data, which are the functions based on the ratio of different gradient components, and the maxima of the balanced gradients can recognize the edges of the sources. We also build the linear equation between the balanced gradients and the location parameters, and discuss the solving way about the linear equations to get more accurate results. We demonstrate the presented methods on synthetic gravity anomalies, and the results show that the balanced gradient methods can recognize the source edges and obtain the location parameters correctly. We also find that the matrix composed by all the derivatives of balanced gradients can get more accurate results, but we cannot solve the matrix using a single point. We also apply the balanced gradient methods to real gravity tensor gradient data, and the results computed by the balanced gradient methods are in accord with the results computed by the other method.