We present a new 2D linear inversion gravity method to estimate the discontinuous basement relief of a sedimentary basin. The method uses an interpretation model consisting of a set of 2D juxtaposed horizontal ribbons whose thicknesses are the parameters to be estimated. The
density contrast between the basement and the sediments is assumed constant and known. The estimates of the thicknesses were stabilized with the Total Variation functional (TV) which permits solutions presenting local discontinuities in the basement relief. The estimates of the basement relief are produced by solving a single linear system of equations in the L1 norm. Because linear inversion methods underestimate the depth of the basement relief for sedimentary basins thicker than 500 m, we amplify the depth estimates through by modifying the matrix associated with the interpretation model. This procedure in general leads to overestimated depths which are corrected through the expression of the anomaly of a Bouguer slab. Tests on synthetic and real data produced similar results as compared with the nonlinear method, but required less computational time. The ratio R between the computational times required by the nonlinear and the proposed methods to produce similar solutions increases with the number of observations and parameters. For example, for 60 observations and 60 parameters R is equal to 4 whereas for 2500 observations and 2500 R increases to 16.8. The proposed method and the nonlinear inversion method were also applied to real gravity data
from Steptoe Valley, Nevada, U.S.A. and from Ponte do POEMA at the Campus of Guamá, in Belém, producing solutions which are similar to the ones produced by the nonlinear method but required a smaller computer time.
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