Academic literature on the topic 'Telluric-magnetotelluric Reconnaissance Telluric-magnetotelluric Measurements'

Abstract. The study of the deep structure of the Earth's crust is of great interest for both applied (e.g. mineral exploration) and scientific research. For this the electromagnetic (EM) studies which enable one to construct the distribution of electrical conductivity in the Earth's crust are of great use. The most common method of EM exploration is magnetotelluric sounding (MT). This passive method of research uses a wide range of natural geomagnetic variations as a powerful source of electromagnetic induction in the Earth, producing telluric current variations there. It includes the measurements of variations of natural electric and magnetic fields in orthogonal directions at the surface of the Earth. By this, the measurements of electric fields are much more complicated metrological processes, and, namely, they limit the precision of MT prospecting. This is especially complicated at deep sounding when measurements of long periods are of interest. The increase in the accuracy of the electric field measurement can significantly improve the quality of MT data. Because of this, the development of a new version of an instrument for the measurements of electric fields at MT – both electric field sensors and the electrometer – with higher levels relative to the known instrument parameter level – was initiated. The paper deals with the peculiarities of this development and the results of experimental tests of the new sensors and electrometers included as a unit in the long-period magnetotelluric station LEMI-420 are given.

Abstract. The study of deep structure of the Earth's crust is of great interest for both applied (e.g. mineral exploration) and scientific research. For this the electromagnetic (EM) studies which enable to construct the distribution of electrical conductivity in the Earth's crust are of great use. The most common method of EM exploration is magnetotelluric sounding (MT). This passive method of research uses a wide range of natural geomagnetic variations as a powerful source of electromagnetic induction in the Earth, producing there telluric currents variations. It includes the measurements of variations of natural electric and magnetic fields in orthogonal directions at the surface of the Earth. By this, the measurements of electric field are much more complicated metrological process, and namely they are limiting the precision of MT prospecting. This is especially complicated at deep sounding when measurements of long periods are of interest. The increase of the accuracy of the electric field measurement can significantly improve the quality of MT data. Because of this the development of new version of instrument for the measurements of electric field at MT – both electric field sensors and the electrometer – with higher relative to the known instruments parameters level were initiated. The paper deals with the peculiarities of this development and the results of experimental tests of the new sensors and electrometer included as a unit in the long-period magnetotelluric station LEMI-420 are given.

Abstract. In the framework of the French participation in the International Equatorial Electrojet Year (IEEY), ten magnetotelluric stations were installed between November 1992 and November 1994 along a 1200-km-long meridian profile, between Lamto (latitude 6.2°N, Côte d'Ivoire) to the south and Tombouctou (latitude 16.7°N, Mali) to the north. These stations measured digitally the three components of the magnetic field and the two components of the telluric electric field, and operated over a period of 20 months. The magnetic data is used to study the features of the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) in West African longitude. The measurement of the telluric electric field variations will be presented elsewhere. Hourly mean values are used to study the morphological structure of the regular diurnal variation SR of the three components (H, D, and Z) of the earth magnetic field and to characterize the EEJ during magnetically quiet days. The occurrences of the counter-electrojet (CEJ) are set forth, emphasizing its seasonal variability. Assumed to be a current ribbon, the EEJ main parameters (the position of its center, its width, and the amplitude of its current density at the center) are determined. A preliminary analysis of the time variations of these parameters is presented over period of 20 months (from January 1993 to August 1994). Results are compared with those obtained during previous experiments of the same kind.

Previous modeling investigations of the static shift of magnetotelluric (MT) apparent resistivity curves have limited appeal in that the electric fields used were point measurements, whereas field observations are of voltage differences. Thus, inhomogeneities of dimension of the order of the electrode line length could not be investigated. In this paper, by using a modeling algorithm that derives point voltages rather than point electric fields, I consider the effect on the MT responses of local near‐surface distorting structures, which are both outside of, and inside, the telluric electrode array. I show that static‐shift effects are of larger spatial size but of less magnitude than would be expected from conventional modeling. Also, the field observation that static shift affects only the apparent resistivity curve but not the phase response can be replicated by the voltage difference modeling. If there exists within the earth a layer whose variation in electrical resistivity along the profile can be treated in a parametric fashion, then static shift of the apparent resistivity curves can be corrected. Deriving the modal value from a sufficient number of observations for the layer resistivity is the most useful approach.

SUMMARY Central Mongolia is a prominent region of intracontinental surface deformation and intraplate volcanism. To study these processes, which are poorly understood, we collected magnetotelluric (MT) data in the Hangai and Gobi-Altai region in central Mongolia and derived the first 3-D resistivity model of the crustal and upper mantle structure in this region. The geological and tectonic history of this region is complex, resulting in features over a wide range of spatial scales, which that are coupled through a variety of geodynamic processes. Many Earth properties that are critical for the understanding of these processes, such as temperature as well as fluid and melt properties, affect the electrical conductivity in the subsurface. 3-D imaging using MT can resolve the distribution of electrical conductivity within the Earth at scales ranging from tens of metres to hundreds of kilometres, thereby providing constraints on possible geodynamic scenarios. We present an approach to survey design, data acquisition, and inversion that aims to bridge various spatial scales while keeping the required field work and computational cost of the subsequent 3-D inversion feasible. MT transfer functions were estimated for a 650 × 400 km2 grid, which included measurements on an array with regular 50 × 50 km2 spacing and along several profiles with a denser 5–15 km spacing. The use of telluric-only data loggers on these profiles allowed for an efficient data acquisition with a high spatial resolution. A 3-D finite element forward modelling and inversion code was used to obtain the resistivity model. Locally refined unstructured hexahedral meshes allow for a multiscale model parametrization and accurate topography representation. The inversion process was carried out over four stages, whereby the result from each stage was used as input for the following stage that included a finer model parametrization and/or additional data (i.e. more stations, wider frequency range). The final model reveals a detailed resistivity structure and fits the observed data well, across all periods and site locations, offering new insights into the subsurface structure of central Mongolia. A prominent feature is a large low-resistivity zone detected in the upper mantle. This feature suggests a non-uniform lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary that contains localized upwellings that shallow to a depth of 70 km, consistent with previous studies. The 3-D model reveals the complex geometry of the feature, which appears rooted below the Eastern Hangai Dome with a second smaller feature slightly south of the Hangai Dome. Within the highly resistive upper crust, several conductive anomalies are observed. These may be explained by late Cenozoic volcanic zones and modern geothermal areas, which appear linked to mantle structures, as well as by major fault systems, which mark terrane boundaries and mineralized zones. Well resolved, heterogeneous low-resistivity zones that permeate the lower crust may be explained by fluid-rich domains.

The magnetic variation (MV) technique employs magnetic transients from natural sources in the magnetosphere to delineate geologic structures in the earth’s interior based on their electrical properties. By measuring only the magnetic field at each site, and not the electric field as required for magnetotelluric (MT) studies, a site can be set up quickly, and often in places which might be quite unsuitable for MT measurements. This generally allows one to execute MV surveys in culturally developed areas or in rugged and logistically difficult terrain at much closer site spacings than those used for conventional MT surveys. Procedures for acquiring and processing MV field data are straightforward, as are methods for inverting data to obtain plausible geophysical models. Using a new 2-D generalized inverse algorithm which employs singular value damping of the Lanczos (or SVD) inverse, we apply the MV technique to determine the basement topography beneath a sequence of 11 remote referenced MV sites from an east‐west profile transecting one of the sedimentary basins of the Rio Grande rift—the San Antonio graben in the southern portion of the Socorro Basin in central New Mexico. Band‐limited data at 50 and 63 s were adequate to delineate the major features of the basin: its lateral margins, its asymmetrical cross‐section with basement dipping sharply to the west, and a large vertical displacement along the western boundary fault of the graben. Our results suggest, therefore, that reconnaissance surveys can be optimized to capture only those data needed to resolve such features. This strategy significantly affects the cost‐effectiveness of the method as a complement to other geophysical techniques.

A revival of the combined magnetic and telluric electric measurements at magnetic observatories is suggested.A number of problems, where such observations might be very helpful, are outlined: 1) the account for the resonance structure of the ULF field during the magnetotelluric probing of low-conductive geoelectrical structures; 2) the hydromagnetic diagnostics of the magnetospheric plasma distribution; 3) the discrimination of ionospheric and seismic contributions in anomalous ULF signals possibly related with earthquakes. The experimental apparatus for telluric current measurements, which has recently been installed at the observatories of Borok (Russia) and L'Aquila (Italy), is described.

A scientific collaboration between the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica (Italy) and the Warsaw Academy of Science (Poland) gave rise to the installation of a few stations for the long-term measurement of magnetotelluric fields in Central Italy. The investigation sites were determined following the individual seismic interest of each location. For this project, the magnetic observatory in L'Aquila was also equipped with electric lines, for simultaneous measurements of the telluric field. After a few years of experience some of the installed stations had to be removed for their high noise level that made this study almost impossible. A first time interval was considered from January 1992 to February 1993 and showed the existence of significant changes in magnetotelluric parameters related to earthquake occurrence time, an extension of that analysis was made to include the event of June 1993 using the magnetic field time variation.