Abstract
The second derivative of gravity across a profile above a two‐dimensional semi‐infinite horizontal slab with a sloping edge has two turning values. Their relative magnitudes provide a simple criterion for determining the direction of the slope. Since the boundary between sedimentary basins and the underlying denser basement rocks characteristically slopes inwards towards the basin, and the contacts of granite batholiths usually slope outwards, this simple criterion provides a means for distinguishing between buried granites and sedimentary basins from their gravity anomalies. The reliability of the criterion is confirmed for observed gravity profiles in Great Britain.

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