NOISE,TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT,AND LONG TIME STABILITY OF ELECTRODES FOR TELLURIC OBSERVATIONS*

Numerous electrodes, already used in geophysics or just perfected by us, have been compared by measuring the three main characteristics which interest the user: noise spectrum, temperature coefficient and polarization with its stability versus time. Among the most used unpolarizable electrodes, silver-silver chloride (Ag-AgCl) are the best ones. But a systematic research of all different possible metal-salt couples, have led us to use lead-lead chloride (Pb-PbCl₂) for the following reasons: noise as low as the one of Ag-AgCl at 1 Hz and even lower for the low frequencies (0.4 μV at 1 Hz and 1.2 μV at 0.01 Hz for peak to peak value and ΔF=F), temperature coefficient about ten times weaker (?40 μV/°C instead of ?450 μV/°C) and also better long time stability of the polarization (1 mV/month instead of 2 at 10 mV/month). We have been using these electrodes since 1977 as “tube” electrodes which are very easy to use. They allow us to record correctly the fast variations thanks to their low noise, the very slow variations, their low temperature coefficient and their stability, and this with telluric lines only about 100 m long.     

Model studies on electro-telluric interpretation problems of some geological inhomogeneities

Summary The rotating nature of telluric field is simulated in an electrolytic model tank. Variations of this rotating field due to the presence of a few two and three dimensional geological models, simulated in the tank, are studied. The telluric ellipses, recorded on a C.R.O. Screen, are found to be useful for qualitative and quantitative interpretation of the non-linearly polarised telluric field data. Relative usefulnesses of the various parameters, e.g., (i)M=ratio of the semimajor and semiminor axis, (ii)K = square root of normalized surface areas, (iii) = linear eccentricity ((a ²/b ²-1) and (iv)e = conventional eccentricity ((1-b ²/a ²)), of a telluric ellipse are tested. Linear eccentricity appears to be the most sensitive parameter. Methods for determining depth and horizontal extent of a structure from a telluric map are suggested. Near surface inhomogeneities, as revealed from the experiment are unlikely to affect the telluric map due to a basement structure.     

基于铅电极的大地电场潮汐响应初步研究

本文对昌黎台地电场6个分量2009年全年的小时值进行了频谱分析,分析结果清楚地显示了日波动、半日波动和三分之一波动。研究人员对该台地电场EW向长极距2009年1月1日～31日的数字化观测资料进行了小波分析,提取到了地电场固体潮半日波和周日波。昌黎台利用铅电极进行地电场观测,不仅观测到了磁场的相关信息,并能较好地观测到潮汐响应,这在全国是首例。     

An automated salt‐tracing gauge for flow‐velocity measurement

This article introduces the SVG (salt‐velocity gauge), a novel automated technique for measuring flow velocity by means of salt tracing. SVG allows a high measuring rate (up to one every 2 seconds), short control section length (down to 10 cm), high accuracy (+[sol ]?1·5 cm s^?1), and unbiased calculation of the mean velocity in experimental conditions with turbulent, supercritical flow. A few cubic centimetres of saturated salt solution (NaCl) are injected into the flow at regular time intervals using a programmable solenoid valve. The tracer successively passes two conductivity probes placed a short distance downstream. The transformation of the signal between the two probes is modelled as a one‐dimensional diffusion wave equation. Model calibration gives an estimation of the mean velocity and the diffusion for each salt plume. Two implementations of the SVG technique are described. The first was an outdoors simulated rainfall experiment in Senegal (conductivity probes at 40 cm apart, 8 Hz measurement rate, salt injections at 10 second intervals). Mean velocity was estimated to range between 0·1 and 0·3 m s^?1. The second was a laboratory‐based flume experiment (conductivity probes at 10 cm apart, 32 Hz, salt injections at 2 second intervals). Another SVG with probes at 34 cm apart was used for comparison. An acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) was also used to give an independent assessment of velocity. Using the 10 cm salt gauge, estimated mean velocity ranged from 0·6 to 0·9 m s^?1 with a standard deviation of 1·5 cm s^?1. Comparisons between ADV, 10 cm SVG and 34 cm SVG were consistent and demonstrated that the salt‐tracing results were unbiased and independent of distance between probes. Most peaks were modelled with r² > 90 per cent. The SVG technology offers an alternative to the dye‐tracing technique, which has been severely criticized in the literature because of the wide interval of recommended values for the correction factor α to be applied to the timings. This article demonstrates that a fixed value of α is inappropriate, since the correction factor varies with velocity, diffusion and the length of the control section. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Second Generation of Lead-lead Chloride Electrodes for Geophysical Applications

—A large number of geophysical applications need long-term telluric recordings. In order to realise it correctly, the use of very stable electrodes is necessary. The study of the potential variations of Pb-PbCl2 electrodes as a function of both the ionic composition and the pH of its electrolyte allows one to chose the optimal working criteria. The best stability and the minimum noise for the potential are obtained for a solution saturated in both salts PbCl2 and KCl, or PbCl2 and NaCl, in the presence of additional non-dissolved salts, with a pH from 4 to 5. The study of the salts diffusion between the inside of the electrode and the outside medium allows one to compute the time span over which the potential remains stable (tD time of dissaturation), and to know how to increase it. Two solutions are possible. The first one is to increase the electrode length, because tD is proportional to the length squared. The second one is to reduce the exchanges of salts with the external medium, by using an electrode with a narrow channel. In this case, tD is proportional to the quantity of non-dissolved salt in the electrode and to the internal electrical resistance of the electrode. The fabrication of this new electrodes design with a channel is described.     

Characteristics of low altitude ionospheric electric field over Hainan Island,China

A sounding rocket experiment undertaken by the Chinese Meridian Project from a low latitude station on Hainan Island(19.5°N,109.1°E),China,measured the DC electric field during 05:45-05:52 LT on April 5,2013.The data observed using a set of electric field double probes,as part of the rocket's scientific payload,revealed the special profile of how the vectors of the DC electric field vary with altitude between 130 and 190 km.During the experiment,the vertical electric field was downward,and the maximum vertical electric field was nearly 5.1 mV/m near the altitude of 176 km.The zonal electric field was eastward and slightly less than 0.6 mV/m.The plasma drift velocity was estimated from the E×B motion,and the zonal drift velocity was eastward and of the order of 100 m/s.The zonal wind velocity was also estimated using the drift velocity near the maximum density height in the F1-region,and it was found to be nearly 120 m/s.This work constituted the first in situ measurement of the DC electric field conducted within the Fl-region(between 130 and 190 km) in the East Asian Sector.     

Fluoride-Selective Electrode as a Tool to Evaluate the Degradation of PFAS in Groundwater: A Bench-Scale Investigation

Fluoride (F⁻) concentration in groundwater can be used as an independent measure of the degradation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at contaminated sites. This study assessed the impact of the groundwater matrix, oxidizing reagents, quenching agent, and sample handling procedures (filtration) on determinations of F⁻. F⁻ was quantified using a fluoride-selective electrode (FSE) using matrix spike recovery (acceptable range 75 to 125%) and electrode slope performance (ideal range −54 to −60 mV). For the unaltered aqueous matrices considered (ultrapure water, ultrapure water with sodium chloride, and simulated groundwater), matrix spike recoveries were greater than 93% and acceptable electrode slopes (−59.5 ± 0.2 mV) were obtained. Matrix spike recoveries and electrode slopes when persulfate or permanganate was added were 87 and 93%, and −58.4 ± 1.3 and −47.3 ± 2.2 mV, respectively. Therefore, quantifying F⁻ in matrices containing permanganate should involve use of either a matrix-matched calibration curve or the method of standard additions due to the low electrode slope. The addition of ascorbic acid as a quenching agent resulted in a decrease in matrix spike recoveries to <74% and suggests alternate quenching procedures should be used if an FSE is employed to measure F⁻. Removal of sediments by filtration prior to the addition of the fluoride spike led to improved matrix spike recoveries (>96%), which were otherwise underestimated using the FSE in the presence of sediments. While the FSE may be a quick and portable tool, its significant limitations need to be fully understood before it can be used to quantify the production of F⁻ resulting from the potential degradation of PFAS at field sites.     

大地电导率横向突变处磁暴感应地电场的邻近效应

大地电性结构的横向变化会对磁暴时的感应地电流和地面电磁场产生影响.本文假设扰动地磁场变化的源为地面以上一定高度的面电流,以某一典型层状大地电导率结构为基础,构造含有电导率横向突变的地电模型.针对感应电流的方向与横向分界面平行的情形,采用伽辽金有限元法对电导率横向突变处的感应地电场进行了分析,揭示了电导率横向差异产生的趋肤效应和邻近效应的机理,针对与电性结构分界面平行的输电线路,从评估地磁感应电流的角度讨论了影响的严重程度和范围.     

On the Difficulty of Detecting Streaming Potentials Generated at Depth

— In order to investigate how a streaming potential coefficient measured in the laboratory, at a typical scale of 10 cm, can be incorporated into a field model, with a typical scale of 1 to 10 km, we measured the electric field induced by water flows forced at 150 m depth through a 10-m wide granite fractured zone. The water flows were obtained by pumping cyclically 10 m of water from a borehole that cut the fractured zone at depth, and contemporaneously reinjecting it into another borehole located 50 m away. After one day a steady-state fluid flow regime was reached, with pumping cycles lasting 45 minutes, indicating a hydraulic conductivity of 10^?5 m s^?1 and a specific storage coefficient of 3.25×10^?6 m^?1. The expected self-potential at the surface was an anomaly with two maxima of opposite sign and 2μV amplitude each, both located 160 m away from the middle of the borehole heads, the signal being divided by two 500 m away from the middle of the borehole heads (in agreement with Wurmstich and Morgan, 1994). Instead, we observed an electrical signal of 8 mV midway between the borehole heads, and smaller than 5 mV, 33 m away from the borehole heads. The discrepancy observed between the data and the model can be explained by fluid flow leakages that occurred close to the water-table head, represented about 20% of the total water flow, and activated smaller but closer electric sources. This experiment thus illustrates the practical difficulty of detecting streaming potentials generated at depth. It shows in particular that in fractured zones, and hence in the vicinity of a major active fault small water flows located distantly from an energetic targeted source, but close to some of the electrodes of the network, can sometimes drastically distort the shape of the expected anomaly. Models of possible electrical earthquake precursors therefore turn out to be more speculative than expected.     

A possible mechanism of stimulation of seismic activity by ionizing radiation of solar flares

A possible mechanism of earthquake triggering by ionizing radiation of solar flares is considered. A theoretical model and results of numerical calculations of disturbance of electric field, electric current, and heat release in lithosphere associated with variation of ionosphere conductivity caused by absorption of ionizing radiation of solar flares are presented. A generation of geomagnetic field disturbances in a range of seconds/tens of seconds is possible as a result of large-scale perturbation of a conductivity of the bottom part of ionosphere in horizontal direction in the presence of external electric field. Amplitude-time characteristics of the geomagnetic disturbance depend upon a perturbation of integral conductivity of ionosphere. Depending on relation between integral Hall and Pedersen conductivities of disturbed ionosphere the oscillating and aperiodic modes of magnetic disturbances may be observed. For strong perturbations of the ionosphere conductivities amplitude of pulsations may obtain ~10² nT. In this case the amplitude of horizontal component of electric field on the Earth surface obtains 0.01 mV/m, electric current density in lithosphere –10^–6 A/m², and the power density of heat release produced by the generated current is 10^–7 W/m³. It is shown that the absorption of ionizing radiation of solar flares can result in variations of a density of telluric currents in seismogenic faults comparable with a current density generated in the Earth crust by artificial pulsed power systems (geophysical MHD generator " Pamir-2” and electric pulsed facility " ERGU-600”), which provide regional earthquake triggering and spatiotemporal variation of seismic activity. Therefore, triggering of seismic events is possible not only by man-made pulsed power sources but also by the solar flares. The obtained results may be a physical basis for a novel approach to solve the problem of short-term earthquake prediction based on electromagnetic triggering phenomena.     

一种Pb-PbCl2不极化电极试验研究

在分析不极化电极基本实现原理的基础上,研究和讨论影响地电场测量电极工作稳定性的主要技术因素,采用Pb-PbCl2技术方案和可螺旋拆解的分体式结构,完成一种不极化电极的研究和试验。结果表明：①该电极的主要技术性能不低于目前国内外在该领域的指标要求;②在性能试验期间,极化电位的一致性和稳定性均较高;③应用研究过程中,较好记录了地电场日变化和地电暴等背景变化。     

大地电场观测地震前兆异常提取技术研究

首都圈地区布设的11个地电场观测台于2001年9月已正式投入观测,现已积累了近7年的资料．使用大地电场观测系统中同一测向的长、短极距测值的比值方法,对其中的10个台和邻区2个台的资料进行了处理,发现该方法能够较好地排除来自大地电场及自然电场远场的变化信息,突出了可识别的地震前兆异常信息．研究结果表明,2006年7月4日河北文安MS5.1震前,多数台站的地电场观测资料出现比值异常变化,从而证明了这次地震前地电场观测存在着短临异常前兆变化信息,只是由于这些信息混杂于正常大地电场变化的背景中,使用常规的分析方法无法识别和提取．研究结果还表明,地电场观测的台址条件和台址到震中区的距离与震前地电场比值异常出现的时间和幅度有关．      

与大电流信号有关的华北东部地区地电场空间变化特征的研究

在地震电磁学研究中,电流在地下的流动特征与构造关系是一个非常重要的问题.大范围观测站的分布和强电流源存在的格局为我们研究这个问题提供了机会.本文通过对青岛换流站接地极向地下注入2100~3004 A大电流时华北东部地区21个地电场台站观测的研究,深入认识了地电场信号变化实质.研究表明：①沿着郯庐断裂带方向、跨过郯庐断裂带西南方向、跨过郯庐断裂带北西方向能够记录到地电流信号的特征变化非常大,存在着明显方向性特征和“穴位”现象.②注入大地的电流强度越大,则在观测点记录到的地电流信号强度也越强.③本文研究区域里地电场信号的均匀度并不遵循均匀介质条件下的一般规律,说明地下介质电性非均匀性和各向异性特征明显.④大电流注入地下时能够较正确地反映信号源方位的台站较少,只有安丘台、大山台和新沂台所观测到的方位线可用于确定信号源的位置.本文从点电流源与台站测线布局构成的装置系统、大区域介质非均匀性、台站测区以及附近地区的介质细结构的影响三个方面,通过数值模拟,对上述特征进行了较深入的分析和解释.     

唐山地震前后自然电场的周期变化

在唐山地震前两个月至主震后约半年的时段内,西集、宝坻、塘沽等三个地电观测台自然电场断续出现特定周期的变化:其周期为半月、一月及半年;其双振幅每公里达数十乃至一、二百毫伏(超过平时观测标准误差6—20倍);电场呈线性极化,其方向大致平行台址附近断裂带的走向。若把这种变化同复杂的干扰区分开并与理论重力值对比,似与日、月起潮力有所联系。其中半月周期变化的极值点,还与震中周围两口废油井间歇自喷现象同时出现,表明电场的这种变化可能与断裂带內地下液体运动状态的变化有关,故认为是一种过滤速度受起潮力调制的过滤电场.微小的起潮力只在主震前后一段时间内才引起这种过滤电势的变化。      

Anomalous Emissions of SO2 During the Recent Eruption of Santa Ana Volcano, El Salvador, Central America

Santa Ana volcano in western El Salvador, Central America, had a phreatic eruption at 8:05 am (local time) on October 1, 2005, 101 years after its last eruption. However, during the last one hundred years this volcano has presented periods of quiet degassing with fumarolic activity and an acidic lake within its crater. This paper presents results of frequent measurements of SO₂ degassing using the MiniDOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) system and a comparison with the volcanic seismicity prior to the eruption, during, and after the eruption. Vehicle measurements of SO₂ flux were taken every hour during the first nine days of the eruption and daily after that. The period of time reported here is from August to December, 2005. Three periods of degassing are distinguished: pre-eruptive, eruptive, and post-eruptive periods. The intense activity at Santa Ana volcano started in July 2005. During the pre-eruptive period up to 4306 and 5154 ton/day of SO₂ flux were recorded on October 24 and September 9, 2005, respectively. These values were of the same order of magnitude as the recorded values just after the October 1^st eruption (2925 ton/day at 10:01 am). Hourly measurements of SO₂ flux taken during the first nine days after the main eruptive event indicate that explosions are preceded by an increase in SO₂ flux and that this parameter reaches a peak after the explosion took place. This behavior suggests that increasing accumulation of exsolved magmatic gases occurs within the magmatic chamber before the explosions, increasing the pressure until the point of explosion. A correlation between SO₂ fluxes and RSAM (Real Time Seismic Amplitude Measurements) is observed during the complete sampling period. Periodic fluctuations in the SO₂ and RSAM values during the entire study period are observed. One possible mechanism explaining these fluctuations it that convective circulation within the magmatic chamber can bring fresh magma periodically to shallow levels, allowing increasing degasification and then decreasing degasification as the batch of magma lowers its gas content, becomes denser, and sinks to give space to a new magma pulse. These results illustrate that the measurements of SO₂ flux can provide important warning signals for incoming explosive activity in active volcanoes.     

Perspectives on monitoring resistivity changes with telluric signals at Parkfield, California: 1988–1999

An array designed to detect changes of resistivity in the upper 10 km of the crust has been in continuous operation since 1988. Long period (T=300–7200 s) telluric signals are recorded digitally on 5–16 km long dipoles. Telluric transfer functions are computed between field dipoles and two reference dipoles and then decomposed to examine daily fluctuations of those functions. Based on analysis of these daily fluctuations, stabilities of 0.1–0.3% are achieved. No intermediate term resistivity changes are seen associated with any of the 5 M_b>4.0 earthquakes that have occurred since 1989. Short term fluctuations are seen associated with most of these earthquakes, however. Minimum bounds on resistivity changes that could have caused the fluctuations in the telluric responses range from 1.7 to 13.0%. While these are within the ranges seen in other field studies, the statistical significance of these fluctuations is low because they also occur at many times that cannot be correlated to earthquakes. Comparison of the one potential resistivity change associated with a strain change results in a strain sensitivity that is unrealistically high. This possible resistivity change coincides spatially with a temporary variation in seismic travel time in May–June 1989, however. It is likely that many of the fluctuations in the telluric responses are random variations except for the one in 1989, and recording through the next M6 earthquake will be needed in order to detect a statistically significant resistivity change.     

Relation of in situ resistivity to water content in salt rocks1

The investigation of water in salt-rock formations is of particular relevance to underground nuclear waste repositories. In the Asse salt-mine (Germany) a study into the relationship of in situ resistivity to water content has been made. Measurements were carried out in older rock-salt using an electrode array in boreholes, an electrode profile in a drift and small resistivity sensors in and around a drift seal. Further measurements were made on moist zones in a contact area of younger rock-salt and carnallitite and also in older rock-salt with anhydrite bands using electrode profiles in the drifts. The resistivities range from 10²Ωm to 10⁶Ωm. Corresponding probes have water contents from 0.01% to 1.3%. A definite relationship between resistivity and water content is revealed which can be described by Archie's law using a cementation factor m of 1.9. Porosities are between 0.08% and 1.4% and the saturations vary considerably. An explicit influence of saturation on resistivity cannot be discovered using the present data. The results enable us to estimate the in situ water content and the order of the in situ porosity using resistivity surveys at different scales. This increases significantly the safety of a nuclear repository site.     

腾冲台地电场在中强地震前异常特征分析

将腾冲台地电场2008~2011年观测资料与2008~2011年间云南腾冲及周边地区发生的多次中强地震进行震例对比分析,发现腾冲台地电场观测数据在震前出现了不同程度的异常变化,对这些异常变化进行深入分析总结,寻找规律和变化特征,异常主要表现为短期和临震异常:异常持续时间较短为1~100天,异常结束至发震时间1~80天;长极距异常幅度在11~50 mV之间,短极距异常幅度在7~30 mV之间。异常结束3个月内应注意5级左右地震发生。     

3D resistivity inversion using 2D measurements of the electric field

Field and 'noisy' synthetic measurements of electric-field components have been inverted into 3D resistivities by smoothness-constrained inversion. Values of electrical field can incorporate changes in polarity of the measured potential differences seen when 2D electrode arrays are used with heterogeneous 'geology', without utilizing negative apparent resistivities or singular geometrical factors. Using both the X - and Y -components of the electric field as measurements resulted in faster convergence of the smoothness-constrained inversion compared with using one component alone. Geological structure and resistivity were reconstructed as well as, or better than, comparable published examples based on traditional measurement types. A 2D electrode grid (20 × 10), incorporating 12 current-source electrodes, was used for both the practical and numerical experiments; this resulted in 366 measurements being made for each current-electrode configuration. Consequently, when using this array for practical field surveys, 366 measurements could be acquired simultaneously, making the upper limit on the speed of acquisition an order of magnitude faster than a comparable conventional pole–dipole survey. Other practical advantages accrue from the closely spaced potential dipoles being insensitive to common-mode noise (e.g. telluric) and only 7% of the electrodes (i.e. those used as current sources) being susceptible to recently reported electrode charge-up effects.     

Imaging short period variations in lava flux

Short period (e.g. <1 h) variations in lava effusion rate have been detected previously on Mount Etna, Sicily, but the causes and effects of such changes are poorly understood because of difficulties in obtaining suitably high frequency measurements over long periods. Here, we report short period flux variations in active lava flows, recorded in dense time series imagery over a 7-night period using modified remote trail cameras. The sequences of night-time images show significant pulses of enhanced incandescence, interpreted as short period increases in lava flux, travelling down-channel at velocities of ∼10–20 m min⁻¹. Pulse generation decreased from an average of one pulse per hour on the first night to approximately one per night within a few nights. Effusion rate changes on these timescales are considered to reflect instabilities in magma ascent and, consequently, could provide insight into subsurface flow processes.