A computationally efficient tool for assessing the depth resolution in large-scale potential-field inversion

In potential-field inversion, careful management of singular value decomposition components is crucial for obtaining information about the source distribution with respect to depth. In principle, the depth-resolution plot provides a convenient visual tool for this analysis, but its computational complexity has hitherto prevented application to large-scale problems. To analyze depth resolution in such problems, we developed a variant ApproxDRP, which is based on an iterative algorithm and therefore suited for large-scale problems because we avoid matrix factorizations and the associated demands on memory and computing time. We used the ApproxDRP to study retrievable depth resolution in inversion of the gravity field of the Neapolitan Volcanic Area. Our main contribution is the combined use of the Lanczos bidiagonalization algorithm, established in the scientific computing community, and the depth-resolution plot defined in the geoscience community.