Continuous measurement of nontidal variations of gravity

Records from seven superconducting gravimeters operated at five different locations in California and one in Boulder, CO, are examined after removal of tides and the gravitational attraction of the atmosphere. Fluctuations over periods between a few days and several months were observed at all sites with peak amplitudes of order 10 microgal. By contrast, a 640-day record obtained with one of the instruments in Germany showed peak fluctuations of only 2 microgal. In most of the records the causes of these aperiodic variations were not determined so that they serve to set limits on the vertical motion or displacement of mass at the respective locations. However, at The Geysers geothermal field, much of the gravity variation is correlated with seismic activity, reinjection rate, and rainfall. Measurements of this type were not possible prior to the development of the superconducting device. Consequently, these results provide the first evidence for the existence of gravity variations on the time scale and of the magnitude described here. Vertical crustal motion, motion related to seismic events, and hydrological phenomena can lead to variations on this scale. Unambiguous identification of causal relationships will require either special circumstances such as found at The Geysers or operation of the instruments in pairs.