A few case histories of subsurface imaging with EMAP as an aid to seismic processing and interpretation1

The electromagnetic array profiling (EMAP) exploration method can be combined with a direct one-dimensional inversion process for conversion to depth to produce a subsurface resistivity cross-section. This cross-section may then be interpreted in parallel with a seismic cross-section to enhance the prediction of rock type and structure. In complex thrust environments and areas of shallow carbonate rocks, the EMAP method is often used to provide additional data either to help the seismic processor and/or to aid the seismic interpretation. In particular, the electromagnetic (EM) data can be used to build an independent seismic velocity file for depth migration. Three EMAP test areas in the western United States are used to demonstrate such a use of EMAP as an expioration tool. The first shows how a velocity file is estimated from resistivity data for seismic depth migration processing in a complex thrust environment. In the second example, the method is applied in layer-cake geology with high seismic velocity rocks at the earth's surface. The third example is another complex thrust environment, but in this case the velocity file derived from the resistivity data is used for stacking the seismic data.     

Geophysical and Hydrologic Studies of Lake Seepage Variability

Variations in lake seepage were studied along a 130 m shoreline of Mirror Lake NH. Seepage was downward from the lake to groundwater; rates measured from 28 seepage meters varied from 0 to ?282 cm/d. Causes of this variation were investigated using electrical resistivity surveys and lakebed sediment characterization. Two‐dimensional (2D) resistivity surveys showed a transition in lakebed sediments from outwash to till that correlated with high‐ and low‐seepage zones, respectively. However, the 2D survey was not able to predict smaller scale variations within these facies. In the outwash, fast seepage was associated with permeability variations in a thin (2 cm) layer of sediments at the top of the lakebed. In the till, where seepage was slower than that in the outwash, a three‐dimensional resistivity survey mapped a point of high seepage associated with heterogeneity (lower resistivity and likely higher permeability). Points of focused flow across the sediment–water interface are difficult to detect and can transmit a large percentage of total exchange. Using a series of electrical resistivity geophysical methods in combination with hydrologic data to locate heterogeneities that affect seepage rates can help guide seepage meter placement. Improving our understanding of the causes and types of heterogeneity in lake seepage will provide better data for lake budgets and prediction of mass transfer of solutes or contaminants between lakes and groundwater.     

Advances in the combined interpretation of seismics with magnetotellurics1

Five examples, obtained during exploration for hydrocarbons in the Pannonian Basin of Hungary, are used to show how the interpretation of seismic sections can be usefully complemented by results from MT surveys. Selection of the most appropriate MT quantities, considered to be proper ‘MT attributes’ for the purpose of visualization as well as recognition of the subsurface structures and the different inversions of MT data is essential for practical integration of seismic and MT surveys. A new technique providing a semiquantitive MT-attribute pseudosection for the purpose of visualization of the subsurface structures is proposed. The procedure utilizes derivative functions of the phase of MT impedance for visualization and derives estimated depths from the Bostick transformation of Cagniard apparent resistivities. On the basis of the MT-attribute pseudosections, constructed from the phase derivatives and transformed resistivity data, depths are estimated for interfaces between geological formations with significant resistivity contrast. In particular examples, the interface between the Tertiary sediments and the older basement rocks as well as tectonic fracture zones with decreased resistivity can be resolved.     

一维垂直各向异性介质频率域海洋可控源电磁资料反演方法

本文提出了一维垂直各向异性(VTI)介质倾斜偶极源频率域海洋可控源电磁(CSEM)资料高斯-牛顿反演方法.在电阻率各向异性介质水平偶极源和垂直偶极源海洋CSEM正演算法的基础上,利用欧拉旋转方法,实现了各向异性介质倾斜偶极源海洋CSEM正演算法.海洋可控源电磁场关于地下介质横向电阻率(ρ_h)和垂向电阻率(ρ_v)的偏导数(即灵敏度矩阵)是解析计算的,结合垂直各向异性介质横向电阻率与垂向电阻率的关系,将各向异性率融入到正则化因子选择中,实现了正则化因子的自适应选择.理论模型合成数据和实测资料反演算例表明,我们提出的反演方法能够较准确的重构海底围岩和基岩的各向异性电阻率以及高阻薄层的埋藏深度、厚度和垂向电阻率.     

Use of marine controlled-source electromagnetic sounding for sub-basalt exploration

The problem of imaging sedimentary structure obscured by high-velocity layers, such as carbonate, basalt or salt, using conventional seismic techniques is well known. When this problem is encountered in offshore areas, marine electromagnetic data can provide valuable, alternative and complementary constraints on the structure. We concentrate on the use of marine controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) sounding in the frequency domain. The feasibility of mapping sub-basalt sedimentary structure using this technique is explored by means of modelling studies which mimic a type of survey which could readily be employed in practice. As a starting point the problem is addressed in terms of 1D resistivity structure. We show that sub-basalt sediments can be detected and their depth of burial quantified to within 200 m in the examples shown. The presence of small-scale inhomogeneities in the basalt (which cause much of the scattering in seismic data) is shown to have no appreciable effect on the ability of the CSEM data to detect the sediments. The modelling is then extended to 2.5 dimensions. Again the presence of sub-basalt sediments can be readily detected and their properties and geometry quantified, especially if the electromagnetic data are combined with constraints from complementary geophysical techniques.     

北京-柏各庄剖面连续介质大地电磁反演解释

在华北地区大地电磁测深工作的基础上,本文对北京——柏各庄剖面上的大地电磁观测资料,使用连续介质反演方法进行反演解释,获得了电性结构的最新结果。对构制的可接受地电模型的评价表明,本剖面内地壳中部普遍存在高导电带,上地幔内高导电带的深度变化较大,电阻率为1m的等值线深度,在沧县隆起为70多km,其西侧和东侧分别在60km和50km左右。上地幔高导电带的电阻率值由西而东有减小的趋势。这些结果与表层构造的对应关系说明,上地幔软流圈及地热场的横向不均一性,对地壳内部发生的构造运动有重要意义。      

Stream bottom resistivity tomography to map ground water discharge

This study investigates the effectiveness of direct current electrical resistivity as a tool for assessing ground water/surface water interactions within streams. This research has shown that patterns of ground water discharge can be mapped at the meter scale, which is important for understanding stream water quality and ecosystem function. Underwater electrical resistivity surveys along a 107-m stream section within the Burd Run Watershed in South Central Pennsylvania identified three resistivity layers: a resistive (100 to 400 Ωm) surface layer corresponding to the streambed sediments, a conductive (20 to 100 Ωm) middle layer corresponding to residual clay sediments, and a resistive (100 to 450 Ωm) bottom layer corresponding to the carbonate bedrock. Tile probing to determine the depth to the bedrock and resistivity test box analysis of augered sediment samples confirmed these interpretations of the resistivity data. Ground water seeps occurred where the resistivity data showed that the residual clays were thinnest and bedrock was closest to the streambed. Plotting the difference in resistivity between two surveys, one conducted during low-stage and the other during high-stage stream conditions, showed changes in the conductivity of the pore fluids saturating the sediments. Under high-stream stage conditions, the top layer showed increased resistivity values for sections with surface water infiltration but showed nearly constant resistivity in sections with ground water seeps. This was expressed as difference values less than 50 Ωm in the area of the seeps and greater than 50 Ωm change for the streambed sediments saturated by surface water. Thus, electrical resistivity aided in characterizing ground water discharge zones by detecting variations in subsurface resistivity under high- and low-stream stage conditions as well as mapping subsurface heterogeneities that promote these exchanges.     

Controlled-Source Electromagnetic Approaches for Hydrocarbon Exploration and Monitoring on Land

Electromagnetic methods that utilize controlled sources have been applied for natural resource exploration for more than a century. Nevertheless, concomitant with the recent adoption of marine controlled-source electromagnetics (CSEM) by the hydrocarbon industry, the overall usefulness of CSEM methods on land has been questioned within the industry. Truly, there are few published examples of land CSEM surveys carried out completely analogously to the current marine CSEM standard approach of towing a bipole source across an array of stationary receivers, continuously transmitting a low-frequency signal and interpreting the data in the frequency domain. Rather, different sensitivity properties of different exploration targets in diverse geological settings, gradual advances in theoretical understanding, acquisition and computer technology, and different schools in different parts of the world have resulted in a sometimes confusing multitude of land-based controlled-source EM surveying approaches. Here, I aim to review previous and present-day approaches, and provide reasoning for their diversity. I focus on surface-based techniques while excluding airborne EM and well logging and on applications for hydrocarbon exploration. Attempts at the very demanding task of using onshore controlled-source EM for reservoir monitoring are shown, and the possible future potential of EM monitoring is discussed.     

Towards high‐resolution 3D marine seismic surveying using Boomer sources

The use of Boomer sources for 3D seismic imaging of shallow marine structures was investigated in a feasibility study. Boomers show sufficient stability to be used in multichannel seismic surveys. The acquisition of a high-frequency, densely sampled seismic data volume was successfully performed in the Baltic Sea. A Pleistocene fluvial channel system and shallow gas accumulations were revealed beneath the unconsolidated sediments which constitute the sea-floor in the southern Kiel Bay.     

Structural mapping in basin-and-range-like geology by electromagnetic methods: a powerful aid to seismic

A case history is presented where electromagnetic (EM) methods were applied as a complement to seismic, for structural mapping in basin-and-range-like geology: 366 five-component magnetotelluric (MT) soundings were carried out together with 331 transient soundings (TDEM) along seismic lines. Due to high structural complexity, seismic shows a number of limitations. For the same reasons, MT is highly perturbed and three specific interpretation techniques were comprehensively applied: 1. a classical correction of static effect using TDEM sounding, to determine the high-frequency nondistorted apparent resistivities and thus the corrected tensor; 2. a so-called regional correction based upon the same concept as the static effect, to transform distorted resistivity curves due to the horst/graben situation into plausible 1D curves, through the use of nomograms built for 2D H-polarization situations; 3. a stripping technique which made it possible to map areas where a deep conductive Mesozoic shale was present below carbonates, at a depth of 3 km. After the best MT interpretation was obtained along each line, it was integrated with seismic and with the results from two boreholes. A crude empirical law relating resistivity and acoustic velocity was established and the MT horizons were plotted on the two-way traveltime seismic sections. The final integrated cross-sections obtained are undoubtedly of greater use to the explorationist than the initial seismic sections alone and two wells were accurately predicted.     

Papua New Guinea MT: looking where seismic is blind1

Hydrocarbon exploration in the Papuan fold belt is made extremely difficult by mountainous terrain, equatorial jungle and thick karstified Miocene limestones at the surface. The high-velocity karstified limestones at or near the surface often render the seismic technique useless for imaging the subsurface. In such areas magnetotellurics (MT) provides a valuable capability for mapping subsurface structure. The main structural interface which can be mapped with MT, due to the large electrical contrast, is the contact between the resistive Darai limestone and the underlying conductive sediments of the Ieru Formation. In some areas the base of the Darai can be mapped with reasonable accuracy by fitting 1D models to the observed MT data. However, in many cases where 2D and 3D effects are severe, 1D interpretations can yield dramatically incorrect results. Numerical and field data examples are presented which demonstrate the severity of the 1D errors and the improvements in accuracy which can be achieved using a 2D inverse solution. Two MT lines over adjacent anticlines, both with well control and seismic data, are used to demonstrate the application of 1D and 2D inversions for structural models. In both cases the seismic data provide no aid in the interpretations. The example over the Hides anticline illustrates a situation where 1D inversion of either TE or TM mode provides essentially the same depth to base of Darai as 2D inversion of both TE and TM. Both models provide base Darai depth estimates which are within 10% of that measured in the well. The example over the Angore anticline illustrates the inadequacy of 1D inversion in structurally complex geology complicated by electrical statics. The TE mode fits a 1D Darai thickness of 800 metres while the TM mode fits a 1D Darai thickness of 3500 metres, bracketing the thickness of 2450 metres observed in the well. The final 2D inversion model provides a depth estimate of 2250 metres. Four MT lines along the Angore anticline have been interpreted using 2D inversion. A high degree of correlation exists between lineaments observed on an airborne radar image and zones of low resistivity within the high-resistivity material interpreted as Darai limestone. These low-resistivity zones are interpreted as fault zones. Three-dimensional modelling has been used to simulate 3D statics in an otherwise 2D earth. These data were used to test the Groom-Bailey (GB) decomposition for possible benefits in reducing static effects and estimating geoelectric strike in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) field data. It has been found that the GB decomposition can provide improved regional 2D strike estimates in 3D contaminated data. However, in situations such as PNG, where the regional 2D strike is well established and hence can be fixed, the GB decomposition provides apparent resistivities identical to those simply rotated to strike.     

Continuous TDEM for monitoring shale hydraulic fracturing

Monitoring and delineating the spatial distribution of shale fracturing is fundamentally important to shale gas production. Standard monitoring methods, such as time-lapse seismic, cross-well seismic and micro-seismic methods, are expensive, timeconsuming, and do not show the changes in the formation with time. The resistivities of hydraulic fracturing fluid and reservoir rocks were measured. The results suggest that the injection fluid and consequently the injected reservoir are characterized by very low resistivity and high chargeability. This allows using of the controlled-source electromagnetic method (CSEM) to monitor shale gas hydraulic fracturing. Based on the geoelectrical model which was proposed according to the well-log and seismic data in the test area the change rule of the reacted electrical field was studied to account for the change of shale resistivity, and then the normalized residual resistivity method for time lapse processing was given. The time-domain electromagnetic method (TDEM) was used to continuously monitor the shale gas fracturing at the Fulin shale gas field in southern China. A high-power transmitter and multi-channel transient electromagnetic receiver array were adopted. 9 h time series of Ex component of 224 sites which were laid out on the surface and over three fracturing stages of a horizontal well at 2800 m depth was recorded. After data processing and calculation of the normalized resistivity residuals, the changes in the Ex signal were determined and a dynamic 3D image of the change in resistivity was constructed. This allows modeling the spatial distribution of the fracturing fluid. The model results suggest that TDEM is promising for monitoring hydraulic fracturing of shale.     

Earthquake Source Zones in Northeast India: Seismic Tomography, Fractal Dimension and b Value Mapping

We have imaged earthquake source zones beneath the northeast India region by seismic tomography, fractal dimension and b value mapping. 3D P-wave velocity (Vp) structure is imaged by the Local Earthquake Tomography (LET) method. High precision P-wave (3,494) and S-wave (3,064) travel times of 980 selected earthquakes, m _d ≥ 2.5, are used. The events were recorded by 77 temporary/permanent seismic stations in the region during 1993–1999. By the LET method simultaneous inversion is made for precise location of the events as well as for 3D seismic imaging of the velocity structure. Fractal dimension and seismic b value has been estimated using the 980 LET relocated epicenters. A prominent northwest–southeast low Vp structure is imaged between the Shillong Plateau and Mikir hills; that reflects the Kopili fault. At the fault end, a high-Vp structure is imaged at a depth of 40 km; this is inferred to be the source zone for high seismic activity along this fault. A similar high Vp seismic source zone is imaged beneath the Shillong Plateau at 30 km depth. Both of the source zones have high fractal dimension, from 1.80 to 1.90, indicating that most of the earthquake associated fractures are approaching a 2D space. The spatial fractal dimension variation map has revealed the seismogenic structures and the crustal heterogeneities in the region. The seismic b value in northeast India is found to vary from 0.6 to 1.0. Higher b value contours are obtained along the Kopili fault (~1.0), and in the Shillong Plateau (~0.9) The correlation coefficient between the fractal dimension and b value is found to be 0.79, indicating that the correlation is positive and significant. To the south of Shillong Plateau, a low Vp structure is interpreted as thick (~20 km) sediments in the Bengal basin, with almost no seismic activity in the basin.     

Three-dimensional Mapping of Magma Source and Transport Regions from Seismic Data: The Mantle Wedge beneath Northeastern Japan

—We investigate the distribution of partial melt in island arc using the seismic velocity structure of the mantle wedge beneath northeastern Japan. The comparison of the seismic tomography with laboratory velocity data on a partially-molten mantle rock yields estimates of melting zones in three dimensions. We employ experimental data on the degree of partial melt in hydrous peridotite to give constraints on the melt fraction and temperature. Melting and magma-rich zones derived from the velocity structure coincide with observed low Q zones. The results of the three-dimensional mapping indicate that the source of magma in island arc is diapir-like melting patches localized within the low velocity zones of the mantle wedge. Extensive volcanic activity along the volcanic front is due to the presence of vast magma-rich zones just beneath the Moho. Those melting zones in the uppermost mantle may, in turn, cause melting of lower crustal materials and produce felsic magma. Melt appears to stay at and beneath the Moho, where crystallization fractionation may proceed. Melt exists at greater depths in the back-arc region, which may correlate with across-arc variations of chemical compositions of the volcanic rocks observed in northeastern Japan. We suggest that magma migration in the ductile lower crust may cause low-frequency microearthquakes, and magma penetration into the brittle upper crust may produce mid-crustal S-wave reflectors.     

基于非结构网格剖分的海洋可控源电磁三维正则化反演研究

为更好地处理与解释复杂海底地形条件下测得的海洋可控源电磁数据,本文提出了一种基于非结构网格剖分的频率域海洋可控源电磁数据三维正则化反演方法.该方法首先对海洋地电模型以非结构四面体单元进行离散,然后基于矢量有限元方法获得海洋可控源电磁响应和灵敏度信息,最后采用共轭梯度法求解高斯-牛顿反演方程计算模型修正量.为提高反演的稳定性,通过在反演过程中采用对数转换方法实现反演模型参数的上下限约束.本文分别测试了单测线水平海底地形反演算例和面积性测量的起伏海底地形反演算例.反演结果表明,本文提出的频率域海洋可控源电磁三维反演能够准确地恢复高阻储油层的位置和电阻率信息,且计算效率较高,可用于实测海洋电磁资料的处理与解释.     

Geophysical evidence of the Eastern Marginal Fault of the Cheb Basin (Czech Republic)

The western part of the Bohemian Massif hosts an intersection of two regional fault zones, the SW-NE trending Oh?e/Eger Graben and the NNW-SSE trending Mariánské Lázně Fault, which has been reactivated several times in the geological history and controlled the formation of the Tertiary Cheb Basin. The broader area of the Cheb Basin is also related to permanent seismic activity of M_L 3+ earthquake swarms. The Eastern Marginal Fault of the Cheb Basin (northern segment of the Mariánské Lázně Fault) separates the basin sediments and underlying granites in the SW from the Kru?né Hory/Erzgebirge Mts. crystalline unit in the NE. We describe a detailed geophysical survey targeted to locating the Eastern Marginal Fault and determining its geometry in the depth. The survey was conducted at the Kopanina site near the Nový Kostel focal zone, which shows the strongest seismic activity of the whole Western Bohemia earthquake swarm region. Complex geophysical survey included gravimetry, electrical resistivity tomography, audiomagnetotellurics and seismic refraction. We found that the rocks within the Eastern Marginal Fault show low resistivity, low seismic velocity and density, which indicates their deep fracturing, weathering and higher water content. The dip of the fault in shallow depths is about 60° towards SW. At greater depths, the slope turns to subvertical with dip angle of about 80°. Results of geoelectrical methods show blocky fabric of the Cheb Basin and deep weathering of the granite bedrock, which is consistent with geologic models based on borehole surveys.     

Theory of EM monitoring of sea bottom geothermal areas

Monitoring of geophysical conditions of marine sedimentary basins is necessary for predicting seismic events and for adaptation of geothermal technologies for seismically active (as a rule) sea bottom geothermal areas. These conditions are characterized by seismo-hydro-electromagnetic (EM) geophysical field interaction in the presence of gravity. Based on the main physical principles, geophysical and petrophysical data, we formulate a mathematical model of seismo-hydro-EM interaction in a basin of a marginal sea and calculate the transformation of a seismic excitation in the upper mantle under the central part of the sea of Japan into the low-frequency (0.1 to 10 Hz) EM signals at the top of the sea bottom sedimentary layer, at the sea surface and in the atmosphere up to the lower boundary of the ionosphere. Physics of the EM generation and propagation process is shown including: generation of EM waves in the upper mantle layer M by a seismic wave from under M, spatial modulation of diffusive EM waves by a seismic wave, stopping of the EM wave arrived (before the seismic P wave) from the upper mantle at the top of the sediments because of the high electric conductivity of seawater (3.5 S/m), immediate penetration of the EM wave through the seawater thickness after the delayed seismic P wave shock into the sea bottom, and EM emission from the sea surface into the atmosphere. Let us note that the EM signal in the sea bottom sediments is the first measurable signal of a seismic activation of geological structures beneath the seafloor and this signal is protected by seawater from the influence ionosphere disturbances. Amplitude of the computed magnetic signals (300, 200, 50, and 30 pT at the ocean–atmosphere interface and at the height of 10, 30 and 50 km, respectively), their predominant frequency (0.25 Hz), the delay of the seismic P wave in regard to the magnetic signal for the receivers at the shore (20 s), the amplitude of temperature disturbances in sediments (up to 0.02 K), the parameters of the long (150 km) tsunami wave of a small (up to 20 cm) amplitude far from the shore and other values that characterize the seismo-hydro-EM process are of the orders observed. Recommendations for the EM monitoring of dynamic processes beneath seafloor geothermal areas are given.     

Effect of coupling noise on the interpretation of results of electromagnetic horizontal sounding and modeling

The time variation of a source of alternating current produces an electromagnetic coupling between the transmitting and receiving systems in induced electrical polarization and resistivity surveys that employ horizontal electrical sounding. The coupling alters, sometimes significantly, the resistivity and chargeability values and, consequently, compromises the interpretation of the data. This work develops the analysis of this coupling on the time domain for both a homogeneous Earth and an Earth constituted of several homogeneous horizontal layers. Based on the results, it evaluates the theoretical variation of the voltage and compares it to observed data of an induced electrical polarization and resistivity survey with horizontal electrical sounding. The comparative study of the voltage decay curves assesses the contribution of the electromagnetic coupling to the values of the chargeability and apparent resistivity as a function of the bipole length and the period of the source current. Besides that, the respective pseudosections have delineated the horizontal and vertical variations of those two electrical properties, providing the interpretation of the geoelectrical section. This research is important for the oil industry because it may furnish information that help to: (i) define the structure of the sedimentary strata; (ii) estimate the clay content of the sandstones; and (iii) detect the possible presence of metallic sulphide halos at fractured zones of the sediments above the oil reservoir. It may be adapted to analysis of EM coupling in both resistive and induced electric well logs.     

Delineation of a quick clay zone at Smørgrav,Norway, with electromagnetic methods under geotechnical constraints

In many coastal areas of North America and Scandinavia, post-glacial clay sediments have emerged above sea level due to iso-static uplift. These clays are often destabilised by fresh water leaching and transformed to so-called quick clays as at the investigated area at Smørgrav, Norway. Slight mechanical disturbances of these materials may trigger landslides. Since the leaching increases the electrical resistivity of quick clay as compared to normal marine clay, the application of electromagnetic (EM) methods is of particular interest in the study of quick clay structures.For the first time, single and joint inversions of direct-current resistivity (DCR), radiomagnetotelluric (RMT) and controlled-source audiomagnetotelluric (CSAMT) data were applied to delineate a zone of quick clay. The resulting 2-D models of electrical resistivity correlate excellently with previously published data from a ground conductivity metre and resistivity logs from two resistivity cone penetration tests (RCPT) into marine clay and quick clay. The RCPT log into the central part of the quick clay identifies the electrical resistivity of the quick clay structure to lie between 10 and 80 Ω m. In combination with the 2-D inversion models, it becomes possible to delineate the vertical and horizontal extent of the quick clay zone. As compared to the inversions of single data sets, the joint inversion model exhibits sharper resistivity contrasts and its resistivity values are more characteristic of the expected geology. In our preferred joint inversion model, there is a clear demarcation between dry soil, marine clay, quick clay and bedrock, which consists of alum shale and limestone.     

Float‐transient electromagnetic method: in‐loop transient electromagnetic measurements on Lake Holzmaar,Germany

Lake sediments may serve as archives on paleoclimatic fluctuations, geomagnetic field variations and volcanic activities. Lake Holzmaar in Eifel/Germany is a maar lake and its lacustrine sediments provide paleoclimatic proxy data. Therefore, knowledge about the geometry and, especially, about the thickness of the sediments is very important for determining an optimum drilling location for paleoclimatic studies. We have developed a floating in‐loop transient electromagnetic method field set up (Float‐transient electromagnetic method) with a transmitter and receiver size of 18 × 18 m² and 6 × 6 m² respectively. This special set up enables in‐loop transient electromagnetic method measurements on the surface of freshwater lakes that define the geometry and the thickness of sediments beneath such lakes thus helping to determine optimum drilling locations. Due to the modular design of the new Float‐transient electromagnetic method field set up, this system can be handled by two operators and can easily be transported. Sixteen in‐loop soundings were carried out on the surface of Lake Holzmaar. The transient electromagnetic method data could not be interpreted by conventional 1D inversions because of the 3D distribution of subsurface conductivity caused by the lake's geometry. Three‐dimensional finite element modelling was applied to explain the observed transients and the 3D conductivity distribution beneath the lake was recovered by taking its geometry into account. The 3D interpretation revealed approximately 55 m thick sediments beneath 20 m deep water in the central part of the lake.