Mapping the structural configuration of the northern part of the Central Indian Ridge from satellite gravity data using derivatives of the horizontal gradient

This study presents a novel approach to map the structural configuration of the northern part of the Central Indian Ridge from satellite-derived gravity data. The proposed approach is based on a combination of derivatives of the horizontal gradient of gravity anomalies. The robustness of the approach is tested on synthetic gravity examples before applying it to satellite gravity data of the northern part of the Central Indian Ridge. The results obtained from the synthetic examples show that the proposed detector can map the structural boundaries more precisely and clearly compared to other techniques, and can avoid producing additional structures in output maps. For real application, the structural features determined from the proposed approach are consistent with the fracture zones that have been identified in the area. The obtained result reveals the prominent lineament trend is in the northeast-southwest direction, which is possibly related to plate movement during the Cenozoic. The result demonstrates a high lineament density that is in agreement with the slow spreading rate of the Central Indian Ridge. My findings also demonstrate that the proposed approach can be considered as a valuable tool in mapping structural boundaries.