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An apparent‐resistivity concept for low‐frequency electromagnetic sounding techniques
Author(s) -
Van Der Kruk J.,
Meekes J.A.C.,
Van Den Berg P.M.,
Fokkema J.T.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
geophysical prospecting
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.735
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1365-2478
pISSN - 0016-8025
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2478.2000.00229.x
Subject(s) - electrical resistivity and conductivity , depth sounding , amplitude , frequency domain , economic geology , computational physics , electromagnetic field , electromagnetic induction , geophysics , geology , physics , mathematical analysis , hydrogeology , mathematics , optics , electromagnetic coil , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , quantum mechanics , telmatology
Apparent resistivity is a useful concept for initial quickscan interpretation and quality checks in the field, because it represents the resistivity properties of the subsurface better than the raw data. For frequency‐domain soundings several apparent‐resistivity definitions exist. One definition uses an asymptote for the field of a magnetic dipole in a homogeneous half‐space and is useful only for low induction numbers. Another definition uses only the amplitude information of the total magnetic field, although this results in a non‐unique apparent resistivity. To overcome this non‐uniqueness, a complex derivation using two different source–receiver configurations and several magnetic field values for different frequencies or different offsets is derived in another definition. Using the latter theory, in practice, this means that a wide range of measurements have to be carried out, while commercial systems are not able to measure this wide range. In this paper, an apparent‐resistivity concept is applied beyond the low‐induction zone, for which the use of different source–receiver configurations is not needed. This apparent‐resistivity concept was formerly used to interpret the electromagnetic transients that are associated with the turn‐off of the transmitter current. The concept uses both amplitude and phase information and can be applied for a wide range of frequencies and offsets, resulting in a unique apparent resistivity for each individual (offset, frequency) combination. It is based on the projection of the electromagnetic field data on to the curve of the field of a magnetic dipole on a homogeneous half‐space and implemented using a non‐linear optimization scheme. This results in a fast and efficient estimation of apparent resistivity versus frequency or offset for electromagnetic sounding, and also gives a new perspective on electromagnetic profiling. Numerical results and two case studies are presented. In each case study the results are found to be comparable with those from other existing exploration systems, such as EM31 and EM34. They are obtained with a slight increase of effort in the field but contain more information, especially about the vertical resistivity distribution of the subsurface.