Application of the potential method in gravimetric exploration

Determination of the mass of the components of the Earth by gravimetric measurements is important for the search for minerals and the modelling of a geoid. Of the most interest is the magnitude of the masses in the near-surface layer of several kilometers. The article presents a numerical method for determining the values of these masses in a space of differentiable functions using the mathematical method of potential. Unlike most of the known algorithms, the method leads to the solution of a correctly posed problem with a single solution. The described algorithm generalizes the previously proposed method for determining the masses of the components of the Earth in the space of differentiable functions from the global to the regional level. Based on the results of the global calculation, it is possible to obtain initial data for calculating the refined values of the masses of the components composing the Earth in the near-surface layer, the depth of which is determined by the area of field measurements. The increase in the area of field measurements makes it possible to use the proposed approximation at a greater depth and determine the mass values with a given accuracy.