Two-dimensional magnetotelluric inversion

Summary. When complex structure is encountered in magnetotelluric surveys, interpretation by locally fitted layered models is of questionable validity. However, when the processed data show two-dimensional structure, numerical inversion schemes for two-dimensional models may be constructed as an aid to regional data interpretation.
The two-dimensional magnetotellurics inversion problem is here formulated in a way that may be applied to many problems. A resulting computer program is analysed carefully in terms of its cost relative to that of simpler layered modelling.
As an example, the method is applied to some field data where the interpretive advantages of the program become evident.     

Three-dimensional inversion without blocks

Summary. We propose a method for solving non-linear inverse problems in the case where the unknown is a function of the spatial coordinates and the data set is discrete and finite. The method is based on a generalized leastsquares criterion, it is defined directly for non-linear problems (without previous linearization of the forward problem), and in the particular linear case it gives the same results (although slightly more general) than the Backus & Gilbert approach. As an example, we apply the method to the three-dimensional seismic velocity inverse problem, using as data the arrival times of seismic waves. The following paper (Nercessian et al .) shows some esults obtained using the present method.     

Simultaneous inversion of seismic data

Summary. The resolving power of different data sets, consisting of surface-wave dispersion measurements and S travel times, are compared for a continental structure. The shear velocity in the low-velocity zone can be resolved in some detail with higher-mode phase-velocity data. Sufficient resolution for small density contrasts (0.03 g cm⁻³) until depths of ∼ 300 km can be reached if higher-mode group velocities are available as well, even at a precision as low as 0.10 km/s. At greater depths the density is not resolved, and here travel-time data are superior to higher modes in resolving the shear velocity.     

Rapid relaxation inversion of CSAMT data

In this paper an inversion algorithm for controlled-source audio frequency magnetotelluric data is presented. This algorithm combines 2.5-D finite element forward modelling with the concepts of rapid relaxation inversion of magnetotelluric data. The inversion uses the same technique to compute sensitivities as the rapid relaxation inversion, and these approximate sensitivities are validated by comparison with exact 2.5-D sensitivities. The comparison shows that the approximate sensitivities are similar in shape to the exact sensitivities when transmitter–receiver offsets are greater than one skin depth in the Earth. The magnitudes of the two sensitivities differ but the variations with depth are similar. Tests of the algorithm on synthetic data and field data provide promising results.