Two-Dimensional Magnetotelluric Modelling of Ore Deposits: Improvements in Model Constraints by Inclusion of Borehole Measurements

A combination of magnetotelluric (MT) measurements on the surface and in boreholes (without metal casing) can be expected to enhance resolution and reduce the ambiguity in models of electrical resistivity derived from MT surface measurements alone. In order to quantify potential improvement in inversion models and to aid design of electromagnetic (EM) borehole sensors, we considered two synthetic 2D models containing ore bodies down to 3000 m depth (the first with two dipping conductors in resistive crystalline host rock and the second with three mineralisation zones in a sedimentary succession exhibiting only moderate resistivity contrasts). We computed 2D inversion models from the forward responses based on combinations of surface impedance measurements and borehole measurements such as (1) skin-effect transfer functions relating horizontal magnetic fields at depth to those on the surface, (2) vertical magnetic transfer functions relating vertical magnetic fields at depth to horizontal magnetic fields on the surface and (3) vertical electric transfer functions relating vertical electric fields at depth to horizontal magnetic fields on the surface. Whereas skin-effect transfer functions are sensitive to the resistivity of the background medium and 2D anomalies, the vertical magnetic and electric field transfer functions have the disadvantage that they are comparatively insensitive to the resistivity of the layered background medium. This insensitivity introduces convergence problems in the inversion of data from structures with strong 2D resistivity contrasts. Hence, we adjusted the inversion approach to a three-step procedure, where (1) an initial inversion model is computed from surface impedance measurements, (2) this inversion model from surface impedances is used as the initial model for a joint inversion of surface impedances and skin-effect transfer functions and (3) the joint inversion model derived from the surface impedances and skin-effect transfer functions is used as the initial model for the inversion of the surface impedances, skin-effect transfer functions and vertical magnetic and electric transfer functions. For both synthetic examples, the inversion models resulting from surface and borehole measurements have higher similarity to the true models than models computed exclusively from surface measurements. However, the most prominent improvements were obtained for the first example, in which a deep small-sized ore body is more easily distinguished from a shallow main ore body penetrated by a borehole and the extent of the shadow zone (a conductive artefact) underneath the main conductor is strongly reduced. Formal model error and resolution analysis demonstrated that predominantly the skin-effect transfer functions improve model resolution at depth below the sensors and at distance of \(\sim \) 300–1000 m laterally off a borehole, whereas the vertical electric and magnetic transfer functions improve resolution along the borehole and in its immediate vicinity. Furthermore, we studied the signal levels at depth and provided specifications of borehole magnetic and electric field sensors to be developed in a future project. Our results suggest that three-component SQUID and fluxgate magnetometers should be developed to facilitate borehole MT measurements at signal frequencies above and below 1 Hz, respectively.     

Controlled‐source electromagnetic monitoring of reservoir oil saturation using a novel borehole‐to‐surface configuration

To advance and optimize secondary and tertiary oil recovery techniques, it is essential to know the areal propagation and distribution of the injected fluids in the subsurface. We investigate the applicability of controlled‐source electromagnetic methods to monitor fluid movements in a German oilfield (Bockstedt, onshore Northwest Germany) as injected brines (highly saline formation water) have much lower electrical resistivity than the oil within the reservoir. The main focus of this study is on controlled‐source electromagnetic simulations to test the sensitivity of various source–receiver configurations. The background model for the simulations is based on two‐dimensional inversion of magnetotelluric data gathered across the oil field and calibrated with resistivity logs. Three‐dimensional modelling results suggest that controlled‐source electromagnetic methods are sensitive to resistivity changes at reservoir depths, but the effect is difficult to resolve with surface measurements only. Resolution increases significantly if sensors or transmitters can be placed in observation wells closer to the reservoir. In particular, observation of the vertical electric field component in shallow boreholes and/or use of source configurations consisting of combinations of vertical and horizontal dipoles are promising. Preliminary results from a borehole‐to‐surface controlled‐source electromagnetic field survey carried out in spring 2014 are in good agreement with the modelling studies.     

井中垂直双极源体积分方程法三维模拟研究

类比水平方向电偶极源和垂直方向磁偶极源电磁场求解的原理,又利用偶极沿电流方向积分是双极原理,推导出地下均匀半空间中垂直双极源电场和磁场解析计算公式.采用体积分方程法对井中垂直双极源电磁响应进行了三维模拟.它对提高井中垂直双极源圈定储层范围的精度有着非常重要的意义,同时也为井中垂直双极源三维反演问题奠定了基础.     

Electromagnetic fields in a steel-cased borehole

The development of an electromagnetic numerical modelling scheme for a magnetic dipole in an arbitrary casing segment in an inhomogeneous conductivity background has been difficult, due to the very high electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability contrasts between the steel casing and the background medium. To investigate the effect of steel casing efficiently, we have developed an accurate but simple finite‐element modelling scheme to simulate electromagnetic fields in a medium of cylindrically symmetric conductivity structures. In order to preserve the cylindrical symmetry in the resulting electromagnetic fields, a horizontal loop current source is used throughout. One of the main advantages of the approach is that the problem is scalar when formulated using the azimuthal electric field, even if the casing is both electrically conductive and magnetically permeable. Field calculations have been made inside the cased borehole as well as in another borehole which is not cased. Careful analyses of the numerical modelling results indicate that the anomaly observed in a cross‐borehole configuration is sensitive enough to be used for tomographic imaging.     

Sensitivity and inversion of marine electromagnetic data in a vertically anisotropic stratified earth

The controlled‐source electromagnetic (CSEM) and magnetotelluric method (MT) are two techniques that can be jointly used to explore the resistivity structure of the earth. Such methods have, in recent years, been applied in marine environments to the exploration and appraisal of hydrocarbons. In many situations the electric properties of the earth are anisotropic, with differences between resistivity in the vertical direction typically much higher than those in the horizontal direction. In cases such as this, the two modes of the time‐harmonic electromagnetic field are altered in different ways, implying that the sensitivity to the earth resistivity may vary significantly from one particular resistivity component (scalar, horizontal or vertical) to another, depending on the measurement configuration (range, azimuth, frequency or water depth). In this paper, we examine the sensitivity of the electromagnetic field to a vertically anisotropic earth for a typical set of configurations, compare inversion results of synthetic data characterizing a vertically anisotropic earth obtained using the isotropic and anisotropic assumptions and show that correctly accounting for anisotropy can prevent artefacts in inversion results.     

Electric field data in inductive source electromagnetic surveys

Measurement of the electric field data due to an inductive loop source in a controlled source electromagnetic survey is not common, because electric field data, usually involving grounded electrodes, are expensive to acquire and difficult to interpret. With the recently developed capability of versatile three‐dimensional inversion, we revisit the idea of measuring electric field in a large ground loop survey for mineral exploration. The three‐dimensional modelling and inversion approach helps us quantitatively understand the detectability and recoverability of the proposed survey configuration. Our detectability study using forward modelling shows that the relative anomaly (percentage difference) in electric field does not decay with a lower induction number, but the conventional magnetic field data (dB/dt) does. Our recoverability study examines how much and what kind of information can be extracted from electric field data for the reconstruction of a three‐dimensional model. Synthetic inversions show the following observations. (i) Electric field data are good at locating lateral discontinuity, whereas dB/dt has better depth resolution. (ii) Electric field is less sensitive to the background conductivity and, thus, is prone to misinterpretation because of a bad initial model in inversion. We recommend warm‐starting the electric field inversion with an initial model from a separate dB/dt inversion. (iii) Electric field data may be severely contaminated by near‐surface heterogeneity, but an inversion can recover the deep target concealed by the geologic noise. (iv) Even one line of single‐component electric field data can greatly improve the horizontal resolution in a dB/dt inversion. Finally, we investigate a field dataset of both electric field and dB/dt measurements at a uranium deposit. The field example confirms that the electric field and magnetic field data contain independent information that is crucial in the accurate recovery of subsurface conductivity. Our synthetic and field examples demonstrate the benefit of acquiring electric field data along with magnetic field data in an inductive source survey.     

Two‐dimensional controlled‐source electromagnetic interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution: spatial sampling aspects

We use numerically modelled data sets to investigate the sensitivity of electromagnetic interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution to spatial receiver sampling. Interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution retrieves the reflection response below the receivers after decomposition of the fields into upward and downward decaying fields and deconvolving the upward decaying field by the downward decaying field. Thereby the medium above the receiver level is replaced with a homogeneous half‐space, the sources are redatumed to the receiver level and the direct field is removed. Consequently, in a marine setting the retrieved reflection response is independent of any effect of the water layer and the air above. A drawback of interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution is a possibly unstable matrix inversion, which is necessary to retrieve the reflection response. Additionally, in order to correctly separate the upward and the downward decaying fields, the electromagnetic fields need to be sampled properly. We show that the largest possible receiver spacing depends on two parameters: the vertical distance between the source and the receivers and the length of the source. The receiver spacing should not exceed the larger of these two parameters. Besides these two parameters, the presence of inhomogeneities close to the receivers may also require a dense receiver sampling. We show that by using the synthetic aperture concept, an elongated source can be created from conventionally acquired data in order to overcome these strict sampling criteria. Finally, we show that interferometry may work under real‐world conditions with random noise and receiver orientation and positioning errors.     

Marine transient electromagnetic sounding of deep buried hydrocarbon reservoirs: principles,methodologies and limitations

The possibility of a time‐domain electromagnetic sounding method using excitation and measurement of vertical electric fields to search for and identify deeply buried reservoirs of hydrocarbons offshore is investigated. The method operates on source–receiver offsets, which are several times less than the depth of the reservoir. Geoelectric information is obtained from the transient responses recorded in the pauses between the pulses of electric current in the absence of the source field. The basics of the method, as well as its sensitivity, resolution, and the highest accessible depth of soundings for various geological conditions in a wide range of sea depths, are analyzed. For the analysis, 1D and 3D geoelectric models of hydrocarbon reservoirs are used. It is shown that under existing technologies of excitation and measurement of vertical electric fields, the highest accessible depth of soundings can be up to 4 km. Technology for the inversion and interpretation of transient responses is demonstrated on experimental data.     

A first application of a marine inductive source electromagnetic configuration with remote electric dipole receivers: Palinuro Seamount,Tyrrhenian Sea

We study a new marine electromagnetic configuration that consists of a ship‐towed inductive source transmitter and a series of remote electric dipole receivers placed on the seafloor. The approach was tested at the Palinuro Seamount in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, at a site where massive sulphide mineralization has been previously identified by shallow drilling. A 3D model of the Palinuro study area was created using bathymetry data, and forward modelling of the electric field diffusion was carried out using a finite volume method. These numerical results suggest that the remote receivers can theoretically detect a block of shallowly buried conductive material at up to ～100 m away when the transmitter is located directly above the target. We also compared the sensitivity of the method using either a horizontal loop transmitter or a vertical loop transmitter and found that when either transmitter is located directly above the mineralized zone, the vertical loop transmitter has sensitivity to the target at a farther distance than the horizontal loop transmitter in the broadside direction by a few tens of metres. Furthermore, the vertical loop transmitter is more effective at distinguishing the seafloor conductivity structure when the vertical separation between transmitter and receiver is large due to the bathymetry. As a horizontal transmitter is logistically easier to deploy, we conducted a first test of the method with a horizontal transmitter. Apparent conductivities are calculated from the electric field transients recorded at the remote receivers. The analysis indicates higher apparent seafloor conductivities when the transmitter is located near the mineralized zone. Forward modelling suggests that the best match to the apparent conductivity data is obtained when the mineralized zone is extended southward by 40 m beyond the zone of previous drilling. Our results demonstrate that the method adds value to the exploration and characterization of seafloor massive sulphide deposits.     

ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD OF SOURCES AT THE SURFACE OF A HOMOGENEOUS CONDUCTING HALFSPACE WITH HORIZONTAL ANISOTROPY: APPLICATION TO FISSURED MEDIA*

The electric and magnetic fields generated by horizontal electric and vertical magnetic dipoles lying on the surface of a conducting medium with horizontal anisotropy are investigated. Full expressions of their Fourier transforms are given, and the fields for a vertical magnetic dipole are calculated numerically. The radial and vertical magnetic components are found to be independent of the receiver-transmitter direction, whereas the other magnetic and electric components strongly vary with this direction. These results give useful criteria for defining the direction and amplitude of anisotropy from ground data; a ground experiment on fissured limestone was found to confirm the expected variations of the various field components. It is believed that this electromagnetic method can be used in order to provide information about the direction and amplitude of electric anisotropy.     

用柱状成层各向异性介质的并矢Green函数模拟偏心对多分量感应测井响应的影响

采用偏心状态下柱状成层各向异性(横向各向同性)介质中并矢Green函数的解析表达式高效模拟多分量感应测井仪器在井眼中偏心时的响应.为提高精度,在模拟时考虑到了金属心轴、绝缘保护层的存在以及各分量线圈系的具体形状.数值模拟结果表明,当井眼内钻井液电导率相对较高、地层电导率相对较低时,偏心对仪器响应的影响较大,尤其是对短线圈距线圈系的影响更为明显,必须进行偏心效应校正.当钻井液电导率相对较低时,偏心对线圈系响应的影响可忽略不计.对位于相对低电导率井眼中的线圈系而言仪器方位角的影响可忽略不计,而当线圈系位于相对高电导率井眼中时仪器方位角的影响极为明显.当仪器偏心率较小时线圈系的响应随仪器方位角的变化较小,仪器偏心率越大线圈系的响应随仪器方位角的变化越明显.     

Anomalies in the electric field and electric conductivity of the Earth’s crust in relation to the Kultuk Earthquake on Lake Baikal

We analyze the variations in the horizontal and vertical components of the Earth??s electromagnetic field measured at nine points onshore along the southern part of Lake Baikal. It is found that variations with a period of a few tens of seconds have decayed 20 minutes before the earthquake. This is a regional effect. It is observed in the variations of the horizontal magnetic field. The intensity of the effect in the electric field is site-specific, which is due to the nonuniform distribution of electric conductivity in a medium, as revealed by the deep magnetotelluric sounding. The electric field also experiences a coseismic variation associated with the seismic wave. This effect is stronger pronounced in the vertical electric field. The bay-like anomalies that precede and accompany the Kultuk earthquake are revealed in the electric field of intraterrestrial origin and in the behavior of the electric tipper. These anomalies are concurrent with the rise of the ground water level in the borehole. The probable nature of the revealed anomalies is discussed.     

A land controlled‐source electromagnetic experiment using a deep vertical electric dipole: experimental settings,processing, and first data interpretation

A multichannel borehole‐to‐surface controlled‐source electromagnetic experiment was carried out at the onshore CO₂ storage site of Hontomín (Spain). The electromagnetic source consisted of a vertical electric dipole located 1.5 km deep, and the electric field was measured at the surface. The subsurface response has been obtained by calculating the transfer function between the transmitted signal and the electric field at the receiver positions. The dataset has been processed using a fast processing methodology, appropriate to be applied on controlled‐source electromagnetics (CSEM) data with a large signal‐to‐noise ratio. The dataset has been analysed in terms of data quality and repeatability errors, showing data with low experimental errors and good repeatability. We evaluate if the induction of current along the casing of the injection well can reproduce the behaviour of the experimental data.     

Resistivity inversion of cross-hole and borehole-to-surface EM data using axially symmetric models1

We describe a least-squares inversion approach to estimating the subsurface resistivity structure from cross-hole or borehole-to-surface electromagnetic data. It is assumed that the resistivity distribution is symmetric about the axis of a borehole and that vertical magnetic dipoles are located on the borehole axis. The receivers are placed either in another borehole or on the earth's surface. The inversion scheme uses the finite-element and smoothness-constrained least-squares methods. The computational effort required to obtain partial derivatives is reduced considerably by using the reciprocity principle. Numerical simulations show that the reconstructions are generally in good agreement with the true structures when the assumption of an axisymmetric earth structure holds. An example involving the breakdown of this assumption, which can be obtained by interchanging the source and receiver boreholes, suggests that the inversion result may also be useful for locating a general 3D anomaly although artifacts are present.     

Dependence of borehole shear‐horizontal‐wave seismoelectric response on soil textures

The phenomenon of acoustic waves inducing electric fields in porous media is called the seismoelectric effect. Earlier investigators proposed the usage of seismoelectric effect for well logging. Soil texture has a strong influence on the coupled wave fields during shallow surface explorations. In this article, we study the borehole pure shear‐horizontal wave and the coupling transverse‐electric field (acoustic–electrical coupling wave fields) in the partially saturated soil. Combined with related theories, we expand the formation parameters to partially saturated forms and discuss the influence of soil texture conditions on the seismoelectric wave fields. The results show that the elastic and electrical properties of porous media are sensitive to water saturation. The compositions of the acoustic and electric fields for different soil textures do not change, but the waveforms differ. We also use the secant integral method to simulate the interface‐converted electromagnetic waves. The results show that interface response strength is greatly influenced by soil texture. In addition, considering the sensitivity of the inducing electric field to fluid salinity, we also simulate the time‐domain waveforms of electric field for different pore fluid salinity levels. The results show that as the salinity increases, the electric field amplitude decreases monotonically. The above conclusions have certain significance for the application of borehole shear wave and its coupled electric fields for resource exploration, saturation assessment and groundwater pollution monitoring.     

Multi‐method virtual electromagnetic experiments for developing suitable monitoring designs: A fictitious CO2 sequestration scenario in Northern Germany

We present a numerical study for 3D time‐lapse electromagnetic monitoring of a fictitious CO₂ sequestration using the geometry of a real geological site and a suite of suitable electromagnetic methods with different source/receiver configurations and different sensitivity patterns. All available geological information is processed and directly implemented into the computational domain, which is discretized by unstructured tetrahedral grids. We thus demonstrate the performance capability of our numerical simulation techniques. The scenario considers a CO₂ injection in approximately 1100 m depth. The expected changes in conductivity were inferred from preceding laboratory measurements. A resistive anomaly is caused within the conductive brines of the undisturbed reservoir horizon. The resistive nature of the anomaly is enhanced by the CO₂ dissolution regime, which prevails in the high‐salinity environment. Due to the physicochemical properties of CO₂, the affected portion of the subsurface is laterally widespread but very thin. We combine controlled‐source electromagnetics, borehole transient electromagnetics, and the direct‐current resistivity method to perform a virtual experiment with the aim of scrutinizing a set of source/receiver configurations with respect to coverage, resolution, and detectability of the anomalous CO₂ plume prior to the field survey. Our simulation studies are carried out using the 3D codes developed in our working group. They are all based on linear and higher order Lagrange and Nédélec finite‐element formulations on unstructured grids, providing the necessary flexibility with respect to the complex real‐world geometry. We provide different strategies for addressing the accuracy of numerical simulations in the case of arbitrary structures. The presented computations demonstrate the expected great advantage of positioning transmitters or receivers close to the target. For direct‐current geoelectrics, 50% change in electric potential may be detected even at the Earth's surface. Monitoring with inductive methods is also promising. For a well‐positioned surface transmitter, more than 10% difference in the vertical electric field is predicted for a receiver located 200 m above the target. Our borehole transient electromagnetics results demonstrate that traditional transient electromagnetics with a vertical magnetic dipole source is not well suited for monitoring a thin horizontal resistive target. This is due to the mainly horizontal current system, which is induced by a vertical magnetic dipole.     

Step-on versus step-off signals in time-domain controlled source electromagnetic methods using a grounded electric dipole

The time-domain controlled source electromagnetic method is a geophysical prospecting tool applied to image the subsurface resistivity distribution on land and in the marine environment. In its most general set-up, a square-wave current is fed into a grounded horizontal electric dipole, and several electric and magnetic field receivers at defined offsets to the imposed current measure the electromagnetic response of the Earth. In the marine environment, the application often uses only inline electric field receivers that, for a 50% duty-cycle current waveform, include both step-on and step-off signals. Here, forward and inverse 1D modelling is used to demonstrate limited sensitivity towards shallow resistive layers in the step-off electric field when transmitter and receivers are surrounded by conductive seawater. This observation is explained by a masking effect of the direct current signal that flows through the seawater and primarily affects step-off data. During a step-off measurement, this direct current is orders of magnitude larger than the inductive response at early and intermediate times, limiting the step-off sensitivity towards shallow resistive layers in the seafloor. Step-on data measure the resistive layer at times preceding the arrival of the direct current signal leading to higher sensitivity compared to step-off data. Such dichotomous behaviour between step-on and step-off data is less obvious in onshore experiments due to the lack of a strong overlying conductive zone and corresponding masking effect from direct current flow. Supported by synthetic 1D inversion studies, we conclude that time-domain controlled source electromagnetic measurements on land should apply both step-on and step-off data in a combined inversion approach to maximize signal-to-noise ratios and utilize the sensitivity characteristics of each signal. In an isotropic marine environment, step-off electric fields have inferior sensitivity towards shallow resistive layers compared to step-on data, resulting in an increase of non-uniqueness when interpreting step-off data in a single or combined inversion.     

井中声电转换波场辐射能量定量分析

井中声激发极化效应研究是实现声激发极化测井实用化的技术基础,实质上是声波在双相孔隙介质中向电磁波的转化,其结果就是形成井中声电转换波场,最终表现为井中声场辐射能向电磁场能的转化.通过对双相孔隙介质中声激发极化过程声电转换波场能量的理论分析,研究了井中声电转换波场能量的总体构成,提出了井中低频声激发极化电场电能体密度的概念,并推导出具体表达式.通过采用实际地层参数模型进行井中低频声激发极化电场的模拟计算得到了井中低频声激发极化过程中电能体密度与声波频率与地层参数的相关关系.     

The electromagnetic response of a horizontal electric dipole buried in a multi‐layered earth

The electromagnetic response of a horizontal electric dipole transmitter in the presence of a conductive, layered earth is important in a number of geophysical applications, ranging from controlled‐source audio‐frequency magnetotellurics to borehole geophysics to marine electromagnetics. The problem has been thoroughly studied for more than a century, starting from a dipole resting on the surface of a half‐space and subsequently advancing all the way to a transmitter buried within a stack of anisotropic layers. The solution is still relevant today. For example, it is useful for one‐dimensional modelling and interpretation, as well as to provide background fields for two‐ and three‐dimensional modelling methods such as integral equation or primary–secondary field formulations. This tutorial borrows elements from the many texts and papers on the topic and combines them into what we believe is a helpful guide to performing layered earth electromagnetic field calculations. It is not intended to replace any of the existing work on the subject. However, we have found that this combination of elements is particularly effective in teaching electromagnetic theory and providing a basis for algorithmic development. Readers will be able to calculate electric and magnetic fields at any point in or above the earth, produced by a transmitter at any location. As an illustrative example, we calculate the fields of a dipole buried in a multi‐layered anisotropic earth to demonstrate how the theory that developed in this tutorial can be implemented in practice; we then use the example to examine the diffusion of volume charge density within anisotropic media—a rarely visualised process. The algorithm is internally validated by comparing the response of many thin layers with alternating high and low conductivity values to the theoretically equivalent (yet algorithmically simpler) anisotropic solution, as well as externally validated against an independent algorithm.     

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.