Roman Pasteka

Roman Pasteka
Comenius University Bratislava · Department of Engineering Geology, Hydrogeology and Applied Geophysics

Professor

About

127
Publications
31,806
Reads
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1,163
Citations
Additional affiliations
October 1996 - February 2007
Comenius University Bratislava
Position
  • Professor (Assistant)
September 2011 - August 2015
Comenius University Bratislava
Position
  • Head of Department

Publications

Publications (127)
Article
Full-text available
Introduction Dobšiná Ice Cave (Slovakia) has attracted the attention of many researchers since its discovery more than 150 years ago. Although the cave is located outside the high-mountain area, it hosts one of the largest volumes of underground perennial ice. The topographic mapping of this unique UNESCO Natural Heritage site has led to several hi...
Article
The knowledge of the vertical gradient of gravity (VGG) at observation points (benchmarks) in the field or at indoor pillars at observatories is needed across various earth science disciplines. The accurate value of VGG is required to reduce the precise measurements of gravity carried out by various modern gravimeters from the sensor height of the...
Article
Full-text available
Enhancing the detection accuracy of the edges of the geological features within the subsurface remains a significant objective in geophysical data interpretation. Despite numerous advancements, approaches stemming from the directional gradients of gravity and magnetic fields still grapple with challenges such as low-resolution outcomes and suscepti...
Article
Full-text available
The calculation of the vertical derivatives of potential field methods can be carried out in a stable manner by Tikhonov regularization, but this procedure requires the appropriate selection of a regularization parameter. For this purpose, we introduce a criterion based on Morozov's discrepancy principle that uses a preliminary approximation given...
Article
Full-text available
Gravimetry is a discipline of geophysics that deals with observation and interpretation of the earth gravity field. The acquired gravity data serve the study of the earth interior, be it the deep or the near surface one, by means of the inferred subsurface structural density distribution. The subsurface density structure is resolved by solving the...
Article
Full-text available
We focus on two methods of determining the density of the rock environment based on gravimetric measurements. The first method, a combined underground-surface approach, relies on recent measurements made at pairs of points along the vertical. One point is located in accessible underground spaces, like tunnels, mine workings, or caves, while the oth...
Preprint
Full-text available
Dobšiná Ice Cave has attracted the attention of many researchers since its discovery more than 150 years ago. Although the cave is located outside the high-mountain area, it hosts one of the largest blocks of underground perennial ice. The topographic mapping of this unique UNESCO Natural Heritage site has led to several historical surveys. In the...
Article
Full-text available
In the development of geophysical methods for unexploded ordnance detection, a very important role is played by UXO test sites, where known ordnance and other explosive/nonexplosive items are buried in the ground at defined positions. At such sites, various detection methods can be compared, developed and tested. Based on a cooperation between the...
Chapter
Full-text available
The publication at hand are the proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection held between March 28 and April 1, 2023, in Kiel, Germany. The content of the articles ranges from local to large-scale case studies all over the world and from various archaeological times, over methodological improvements, new processing...
Chapter
Full-text available
The publication at hand are the proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection held between March 28 and April 1, 2023, in Kiel, Germany. The content of the articles ranges from local to large-scale case studies all over the world and from various archaeological times, over methodological improvements, new processing...
Article
In this study we have investigated the question as to whether highly accurate microgravimetric measurements on the side of a pyramid could also map the recently discovered “muon chamber” in the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Exploiting the technical capabilities of modern gravimeters, we performed three-dimensional model calculations with realisti...
Article
Full-text available
A detailed gravity survey with 235 measurements was carried out at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals campus, which is located at the crest of the oil-bearing Dammam Dome (Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia). This survey allows us to better understand the geometry of the underlying Dammam Dome and its tectonic regime. The acquired dat...
Article
A quantum device uses ultracold atoms to sense gravitational changes that can detect a tunnel under a city street. Here, scientists discuss the advance from the viewpoints of quantum sensing and geophysics. Two views on quantum sensing in geophysics.
Article
We present a new 2D lithospheric density model along the seismic profile CEL09 crossing the Bohemian Massif, the Western Carpathians, and the Pannonian Basin. The resulting model consists of five principal layers: sediments, upper crust, lower crust, lower lithosphere, and asthenosphere. The thicknesses of the Neogene sedimentary basins vary from 0...
Conference Paper
The study area is a part of Dammam Dome that is situated at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) campus, Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The gravity survey was conducted as a pilot case study to explore part of Dammam Dome in greater detail. Gravity data were collected solely during night hours due to low noise levels. A significa...
Article
Full-text available
In this contribution we present results from a case-study, which was performed in collaboration between geophysicists and explosive ordnance disposal technicians at the Rohožník military training range in SW Slovakia. The aim of this study was to locate a deep-penetrated unexploded Mk-82 aerial bomb using high-definition digital magnetometry. The l...
Article
The Tikhonov regularized approach to the downward continuation of potential fields is a partial but strong answer to the instability and ambiguity of the inverse problem solution in studies of applied gravimetry and magnetometry. The task is described with two functionals, which incorporate the properties of the desired solution, and it is solved a...
Article
Full-text available
The AlpArray Gravity Research Group (AAGRG), as part of the European AlpArray program, focuses on the compilation of a homogeneous surface-based gravity data set across the Alpine area. In 2017 10 European countries in the Alpine realm agreed to contribute with gravity data for a new compilation of the Alpine gravity field in an area spanning from...
Article
Full-text available
Interpretation and inversion of microgravity anomalies belong to important tasks of near-surface geophysics, mostly in cavities detection in engineering, environmental and archaeological applications. One of the mostly used concepts of inversion in applied gravimetry is based on the approximation of the model space by means of 2D or 3D elementary s...
Preprint
Full-text available
The AlpArray Gravity Research Group (AAGRG), as part of the European AlpArray program, focuses on the compilation of a homogeneous surface-based gravity dataset across the Alpine area. From this data set, Bouguer- and Free Air anomalies are calculated and presented here. In 2016/17 ten European countries in the Alpine realm have agreed to contribut...
Article
Examples of the application of microgravity mehtod for the detection of potentially hazardous (empty) underground cavities caused by the collapse of coal mines are presented. Within these areas some alteration by previous remediation activity had occurred. This was not documented earlier and, therefore, such alteration was often unknown prior to th...
Article
Full-text available
The gravitational effects caused by normal and reverse faults are very close to each other, both in amplitude and in the shape. We demonstrate the usage of the first curvature as a tool for the setting the slope orientation without the additional geological information. The curvature is calculated not only for the measured data, but for their upwar...
Article
The differentiation operators (with respect to the Cartesian variables x, y and z) are part of several transformations of the potential fields. The resolution of these operators can be improved if the input filed is continued downward at first. We show the performance of the integrated operator, which combines differentiation and downward continuat...
Article
Detailed and precise measurement of the Earth's gravity field (microgravity method) can be effectively used for the detection and quantification of subsurface voids and/or cavities. There exist a variety of successful applications of the microgravity method in near surface geophysics, namely in geotechnical, environmental and archaeological prospec...
Chapter
Euler deconvolution method builds a part of depth estimation methods in semi-automated interpretation of potential fields in applied geophysics. It is suitable for the interpretation of well developed and separated anomalies from isolated sources, which often occur in near surface applications (detection of iron bodies in magnetometry, cavities in...
Article
Full-text available
This contribution is focused on a common utilization of microgravimetry (very precise and detailed gravimetry) and geoeletrical methods (ground penetrating radar and electric resistivity tomography) in the detection of subsurface cavities in non-destructive archaeological prospection. Both methods can separately detect such kind of subsurface objec...
Article
Full-text available
The choice of an effective interpretative methodology in terms of management costs, timing, reliability, safety and efficiency is a key issue for the identification of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Among geophysical methods, magnetometry plays an important role in detection and interpretation of UXO objects. We present a study aimed at the identificat...
Article
Full-text available
The direct problem of simple geometrical bodies plays an important role in the gravimetrical processing and modelling tools. We focused on the 3D rectangular prism, which is widely used in such processes. Even though the solution for this body is well known, there are still some issues about it, which are not answered or not answered completely in...
Article
Full-text available
Transformation based on downward continuation of potential fields is an important tool in their interpretation-depths of shallowest important sources can be determined by means of stable downward continuation algorithms. We analyse here selected properties of one from these algorithms (based on Tikhonov's regularization approach) from the scope of...
Article
In the Russian school, the Total Normalized Gradient (TNG) method belongs to the most wide‐spread of direct interpretation methods for potential field data. This method was also used and partly developed by many experts from abroad. The main advantage of the TNG method is its relative independence of parameters such as the expected differential den...
Article
Full-text available
We present a new digital Moho depth map of the Carpathian-Pannonian region. The map was produced by compiling Moho discontinuity depth data, which were obtained by interpretation of seismic measurements taking into account the results of 2-D and 3-D integrated geophysical modelling. The resultant map is characterized by significant Moho-depth varia...
Chapter
When discussing the various aspects of the Bouguer anomaly calculation in the past we came across numerous discrepancies in its definition expressed either in textbooks (sometimes even including modern texts) or in not less than 10 important articles and discussions which have been published within the last 25 years. Therefore we continued in inves...
Chapter
Compilation of the Slovak gravimetric database with the actual amount of about 320,000 observation points is presented. Gravity data were collected during more than 50 years, which yields a very heterogeneous dataset, with large variations in the station coverage and processing methods. The regional gravimetric database (more than 212,000 points) w...
Chapter
https://books.google.sk/books?id=ue9_DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=understanding+the+bouguer+anomaly&source=bl&ots=3jbrB26WMy&sig=yDjlonpuPEEkCfGzmepDzv9Y_7U&hl=de&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjgv4S5_vjSAhWCzxQKHRDoC9QQ6AEISTAG#v=onepage&q=understanding%20the%20bouguer%20anomaly&f=false
Chapter
The new software solution Toposk was developed in order to recalculate the terrain corrections of the unified gravity database of the Slovak Republic. The program is designed primarily for the calculation of the gravitational effect of the topographic masses, and the terrain corrections are then derived from these effects. The program application i...
Poster
Full-text available
Vicinity of Domadice and especially Santovka (both distr. Levice, SW Slovakia) are well-known in archaeological literature for finds from the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Very important is Lengyel culture settlement (probably with rondel architecture) excavated in late 70s of the 20th century. The impulse for the new research activities in Domadice wa...
Article
Full-text available
The paper deals with the revision and enrichment of the present gravimetric database of the Slovak Republic. The output of this process is a new version of the complete Bouguer anomaly (CBA) field on our territory. Thanks to the taking into account of more accurate terrain corrections, this field has significantly higher quality and higher resoluti...
Book
Understanding the Bouguer Anomaly: A Gravimetry Puzzle addresses the geophysical and geodetic applications of gravity field interpretation, taking into account the evaluation of the Bouguer anomaly. Containing several contributions that deal with persistent questions in gravity data processing and providing verified workflows, the book covers histo...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
One of major environmental challenges in Slovakia is to deal with numerous contaminated sites polluted by improper waste management in the past. We present a case study from Babica landfill located in western part of Slovakia near the village Bosany. The landfill was established in 1970, in a very inappropriate environment of abandoned meander. Was...
Article
We present a new method of transforming borehole gravity meter data into vertical density logs. This new method is based on the regularized spectral domain deconvolution of density functions. It is a novel alternative to the “classical” approach, which is very sensitive to noise, especially for high-definition surveys with relatively small sampling...
Conference Paper
Recent deep seismic studies support the existing isostatic systems only to a limited extent and, in some areas, considerable disagreements have been pointed at. This implies that we should attempt to replace the classic isostatic corrections by quantities calculated from a-priori information which should be as independent of the gravity data themse...
Conference Paper
Downward continuation of potential fields is an important tool in their interpretation - depths of shallowest important sources can be determined by means of stable downward continuation algorithms. In this contribution we analyse the properties of one from these algorithms (based on Tikhonov's regularization approach) from the scope of two most im...
Article
Recording of the historic edifice using the state-of-the-art geodetic and geophysical techniques brings easier visualisation in form of a three-dimensional (3D) model, thus allowing better understanding of its historical construction by the public and non-experts. We have applied this approach at the Church of St. George, one of the most significan...
Article
Katarínka (St. Catherine) is the ruin of an abandoned Franciscan monastery from the early 17th century located in the western Small Carpathians in Slovakia. Historical sources and paintings suggest that, beside the remains of the monastery that are still visible, a circle of eight chapels, a pilgrim’s hospice, a cemetery, and garden terraces origin...
Article
It is well known that the vertical gradient of gravity measured on the Earth’s surface depends strongly on nearby topographical shapes. We simply inverted the problem and posed the question whether a zero vertical gradient can be observed using relative gravity meters and the classical tower method of measurement in appropriate terrain conditions....
Conference Paper
Recording of the historical edifice using the state-of-the-art surveying techniques brings easier visualisation in the form of a three-dimensional model, thus allowing better understanding of its historical construction by public and non-experts. A combination of non-invasive geodetic and geophysical methods was applied at the St. George’s Church i...
Article
Full-text available
A complex of geophysical methods were used to investigate a small karst area aimed at the production of detailed geological mapping, to confirm geological localization of known sinkholes, and to find possible continuations of caves and voids below the surface. The dipole electromagnetic profiling and radiometric mapping (the gamma-ray spectrometry...
Article
Full-text available
The estimation of the structural index and of the depth to the source is the main task of many popular methods used to analyze potential field data, such as Euler deconvolution. However, these estimates are unstable even in the presence of a weak amount of noise, and Euler deconvolution of noisy data leads to an underestimation of structural index...
Conference Paper
In the framework of OPIS-Operational Programme Information Society co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) the most important monuments of Slovak cultural heritage are recorded using modern geodetic techniques. More than two hundreds objects, e.g. historical bridges, cemeteries, sacral buildings, folk architecture reservations, r...
Article
The city of Iznik, called Nikaia or Nicaea in ancient times, is located in northwest Anatolia, Turkey. Nicaea is renowned especially for the first Council of Nicaea convened by the Roman emperor Constantine in ad 325 in an attempt to unify the Church. During an international field course on the geophysical exploration of archaeological targets we d...
Conference Paper
The microgravity method has developed to be an important complementary method in non-invasive archaeological prospection in urban areas and buildings interiors, mainly in the area of cavity (crypts, tombs, cellars) detection. Thanks to the state of the art instrumentation low amplitude anomalies can be acquired and interpreted. In data processing t...
Article
Full-text available
Complex of geophysical methods was used to investigate small karst area for purposes to make of detailed geological mapping survey, to confirm geological localization of known sinkholes and pits and find possible continuation of caves and voids below the surface. The electromagnetic (the Electromagnetic Conductivity method – CMD) and radiometric (t...
Conference Paper
Complex of geophysical methods was used to investigate small karst area for purposes to make of detailed geological mapping survey, to confirm geological localization of known sinkholes and pits and find possible continuation of caves and voids below the surface. The electromagnetic (the Electromagnetic Conductivity method-CMD) and radiometric (the...
Article
The ruins of the St Catherine's monastery complex, the largest sacral ruins in Slovakia, are an important example of Slovak cultural heritage. The Franciscan monastery was a famous site of religious significance due to the legends describing the apparitions of St Catherine. The preservation project of the monastery remains started in 1994. As a par...
Conference Paper
Importance of precise vertical gradient of gravity (VGG) determination by means of relative gravity measurements is mainly connected with absolute gravity measurements and setting of global and local gravity reference networks. The gravitational effect of the topography and near building structures and their contribution on the vertical gradient of...
Article
Full-text available
Downward continuation of potential fields is a powerful, but very unstable tool used in the processing and interpretation of geophysical data sets. Treatment of the instability problem has been realized by various authors in different ways. The Tikhonov regularization approach is one of the most robust. It is based on a low-pass filter derivation i...
Article
Use of the microgravity technique for cavity detection in the exploration of historical buildings requires careful data acquisition and modern processing procedures. We have developed a new method for the calculation of building effects, where geodetic measurements and special photogrammetric software are used. In our new approach, a three-dimensio...
Conference Paper
When calculating horizontal and vertical gradients using filtration in the wave-number domain the condition that the input data should be defined on a horizontal plane is generally not satisfied on continents, namely in the areas with uneven topography. If we ignore this we can be confronted with incorrect outputs of our transformations. On the oth...
Article
Full-text available
The Red Sea is considered to be a typical example of a newly formed ocean. Moreover the northern Red Sea region and Gulf of Suez are generally important due to their hydrocarbon resources. Estimation of higher derivatives of potential fields represents a significant role in geophysical interpretation (qualitative and/or quantitative), as has been d...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Microgravity surveys for archaeological applications conducted in the interior of the buildings require careful data acquisition and processing. We have developed modern, effective and fast data processing procedure for calculation of the building effect correction in microgravity technique. Polyhedral body of historical building is created from im...
Conference Paper
A powerful toll in the estimation of potential field source depths is given by the analytical downward continuation of the measured field - down to the depth of the first important shallow sources. On the other hand, analytical downward continuation is an highly instable problem and one effective way for its solution is Tikhonov regularization. Com...