Slingram EMI prospection: Are vertical orientated devices a suitable solution in archaeological and pedological prospection?

Electromagnetic induction (EMI) is one of the geophysical techniques widely used in soil studies, the slingram devices being held horizontally over the soil surface, i.e. with the coils located at the same height above the ground surface. Our study aims assessing the abilities of slingram devices when held vertically. 1D and 3D modelling have been achieved in order to compare the theoretical responses of vertical devices to the horizontal ones. Some comparative surveys were also undertaken in archaeological contexts to confirm the reliability of theoretical conclusions. Both approaches show that vertical slingram devices are suitable for survey and can constitute an alternative to the usual horizontal orientation. We give a table in Appendix A which contains the calibration coefficient allowing transforming of the values given by some of commercially available devices which would be advantageous to use in vertical orientation     

Soil properties and performance of landmine detection by metal detector and ground-penetrating radar — Soil characterisation and its verification by a field test

Metal detectors have commonly been used for landmine detection, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is about to be deployed for this purpose. These devices are influenced by the magnetic and electric properties of soil, since both employ electromagnetic techniques. Various soil properties and their spatial distributions were measured and determined with geophysical methods in four soil types where a test of metal detectors and GPR systems took place. By analysing the soil properties, these four soils were classified based on the expected influence of each detection technique and predicted soil difficulty. This classification was compared to the detection performance of the detectors and a clear correlation between the predicted soil difficulty and performance was observed. The detection performance of the metal detector and target identification performance of the GPR systems degraded in soils that were expected to be problematic. Therefore, this study demonstrated that the metal detector and GPR performance for landmine detection can be assessed qualitatively by geophysical analyses.     

An integrated geodynamic model of the Nankai subduction zone and neighboring regions from geophysical inversion and modeling

I investigate large-scale deep crustal structures of the Nankai subduction zone and neighboring region using regional magnetic and gravity anomalies, heat flow measurements, and earthquake hypocenters. It is found that ages, dip angles, and geothermal states of the subducting slab have direct influences on mantle wedge serpentinization. The weakest serpentinization observed in the Nankai forearc region is associated with the youngest downgoing plate of the Shikoku Basin. Conspicuous gravity anomalies identified in the forearc region are coincidental spatially with magnetic anomalies after the reduction to the pole, a mathematical procedure that helps relocate magnetic sources and boundaries, and allows us to more easily interpret magnetic data. It is argued that these patches of magnetic and gravity anomalies are caused by the same sources of anomalous density and magnetization, and are linked directly to preexisting structures such as magnetic anomalies and their boundaries in the subducting oceanic crust. Since the gravity and magnetic anomaly patches are found to be closely related to interplate seismogenic behaviors in the Nankai subduction zone, I suggest that major magnetic boundaries in the Shikoku Basin are likely weak places for slab tears that trigger seismic segmentations along the subduction zone.     

History of faulting and magmatism in the Galilee (Israel) and across the Levant continental margin inferred from potential field data

The Galilee study area, northern Israel, is at present an uplifted, steep continental margin that formed mainly during the Jurassic and has a large positive isostatic anomaly. Since the Jurassic, it was modified by several tectonomagmatic events, which this study attempts to define and classify by updating, reprocessing and reinterpreting gravity, aeromagnetic and geological data. The prominent Rehovot-Carmel N–S positive reduced-to-pole (RTP) magnetic anomaly caused by the Gevim Volcanics, as well as the coexisting Helez-Gaash high Bouguer gravity and the Pleshet low Bouguer gravity, represent the deep (>5 km) Permo-Triassic dominant horst and graben structure of Israel. The Jonah Ridge and Beirut high SW–NE RTP magnetic anomalies in the Levant basin delineate the Levant continental edge that is marked by a deeply buried horst covered by a Late Cretaceous volcanic complex. The Asher and Devora Jurassic volcanics appear to be responcible for the Atlit and Galilee negative magnetic anomalies and for significant negative gravity anomalies which became clear after removing gravity effect of the upper (post-Turonian) light density sediments from the observed gravity. The volcanics extend along a SW–NE belt parallel to the strike of the Moho. It is suggested here that the Carmel-Gilboa fault propagated during the Late Cretaceous from the Levant basin across the Galilee area southeastward to form the Azraq-Sirhan graben in Jordan. As such, it forms a right-step, en echelon, dextral strike-slip fault with associated tectonic basins of various shapes. During the Oligocene and before formation of the Dead Sea transform (DST), the reactivation of the Azraq-Sirhan graben was accompanied by tectonic driven rift propagation in the opposite direction, from Azraq-Sirhan to northwest. It dispersed into many faults and terminated ∼10 km west of the present DST. During the Miocene it propagated in the same direction and includes internal volcanic activity. The numerous Miocene-Pliocene volcanic centers on the margins of the DST indicate that the preferred pathway for magmas at that time was not within the deep basins of the DST.     

早更新世以来青藏高原隆升作用在塔里木盆地腹地的响应

自约55Ma印度-欧亚板块碰撞,青藏高原经历持续挤压,发生多次阶段性隆升作用.晚新生代以来强烈隆升作用不仅造就了青藏高原北部强烈的构造变形效应,还引起了大规模的干旱化.位于塔里木盆地腹地(N38° 40.911′,E80°18.484′)的玛扎塔格褶断带东西向延伸约300km,南缘发育出露连续、完全的早更新世地层,岩性主要以灰黄色泥岩、粉砂质泥岩、粉砂岩为主,含有薄层粗砂岩及砾岩.本文延展了原来研究剖面,共采集古地磁样品90块共9个采点.系统热退磁结果揭示出了正反极性,高分辨率的磁性地层学及野外磁化率研究确定研究剖面时代约为2.2～0.1Ma,对玛扎塔格整个剖面地层的年龄控制提供了限定.利用MS2磁化率仪对野外剖面现场测量,采集209米695点数据.通过与深海氧同位素比对分析,说明磁化率结果不仅较好揭示了全球气候变化,还精确记录了约1.8Ma、1.2Ma、0.9Ma、0.65Ma等多期构造活动,并且直接证明年龄约0.05Ma的地层发生了较强构造变形.青藏高原早更新世以来隆升过程具有脉冲特征,约0.9Ma的强烈隆升使主体达到冰冻圈,起到的屏障效应使塔里木盆地开始较快速干旱化,同时为黄土高原提供了更多风尘物质和增强了对粉尘的搬运能力,导致巨厚的粗粒上砂岩层L9形成.     

地面高精度连续磁测在西天山群吉萨依铜矿勘查中的运用

近年来,地面磁法仪器测量精度和读数速度有根本性改变.特别是Overhauser和铯光汞磁力仪的应用,使读数间隔达0.1 s,而带有载波相位的GPS实时定位精度可达分米级.据新疆西天山尼勒克县群吉萨依铜矿区应用实例,展示出地面磁法连续测量比常规点距能够获得更多地磁场信息,提高发现异常能力和定性、定量解释精度.因此,该方法具很高社会效益和实际应用价值.     

Magnetic structural information obtained from the HiRES airborne survey of the Isle of Wight

This study summarises the structural information obtained from a modern high resolution magnetic survey over the Isle of Wight corroborated with additional information derived from existing data available over a much wider area. This new, low-altitude, survey offered the opportunity to compare the UK national baseline magnetic data set (GSGB) acquired during the late 1950s and early 1960s with a high resolution airborne geophysical survey (HiRES) data set. The low level modern survey data, covering an unusually small area for an airborne magnetic investigation, has not been systematically de-cultured for non-geological perturbations since the extent of the cultural interference made the task non-viable. However, after spectral filtering of the two data sets, a West to East trending arcuated magnetic basement feature is successfully defined and compared. Depth estimates for this basement feature are proposed and considered alongside previous estimates which placed the causative body at greater depth.Onshore, the low gradient magnetic field, with little significant shallow magnetic structure within a thick succession of sedimentary rocks, is subjected to a range of filtering techniques that permit a preliminary interpretation of lineaments within the succession. This line work is considered in conjunction with the regional fault mapping undertaken as part of a seismic re-interpretation.     

The polarization-free approximation applied to multi-level non-LTE radiative transfer

The polarization-free (POF) approximation (Trujillo Bueno and Landi Degl'Innocenti, 1996) is capable of accounting for the approximate influence of the magnetic field on the statistical equilibrium, without actually solving the full Stokes vector radiative transfer equation. The method introduces the Zeeman splitting or broadening of the line absorption profile I in the scalar radiative transfer equation, but the coupling between Stokes I and the other Stokes parameters is neglected. The expected influence of the magnetic field is largest for strongly-split strong lines and the effect is greatly enhanced by gradients in the magnetic field strength. Formally the interaction with the other Stokes parameters may not be neglected for strongly-split strong lines, but it turns out that the error in Stokes I obtained through the POF approximation to a large extent cancels the neglect of interaction with the other Stokes parameters, so that the resulting line source functions and line opacities are more accurate than those obtained with the field-free approach. Although its merits have so far only been tested for a two-level atom, we apply the POF approximation to multi-level non-LTE radiative transfer problems on the premise that there is no essential difference between these two cases. Final verification of its validity in multi-level cases still awaits the completion of a non-LTE Stokes vector transfer code.For two realistic multi-level cases (CaII and MgI in the solar atmosphere) it is demonstrated that the POF method leads to small changes, with respect to the field-free method, in the line source functions and emergent Stokes vector profiles (much smaller than for a two-level atom). Real atoms are dominated by strong ultraviolet lines (only weakly split) and continua, and most lines with large magnetic splitting (in the red and the infrared) are at higher excitation energies, i.e. they are relatively weak and unable to produce significant changes in the statistical equilibrium. We find that it is generally unpredictable by how much the POF results will differ from the field-free results, so that it is nearly always necessary to confirm predictions by actual computations.The POF approximation provides more reliable results than the field-free approximation without significantly complicating the radiative transfer problem, i.e. without solving any extra equations and without excessive computational resource requirements, so that it is to be preferred over the field-free approximation.     

Non-LTE polarized radiative transfer in intermediate magnetic fields: Numerical problems and results

This paper presents some numerical results relative to a solution, based on the density matrix formalism, of the non-LTE, polarized radiative transfer problem for a two-level atom. The results concern the atomic upper level population and alignment, and the emergent radiation Stokes profiles, for a plane-parallel, static, isothermal atmosphere embedded in a magnetic field of intermediate strength, such that the Zeeman splitting has to be taken into account in the line profile. Zeeman coherences are neglected, whereas magneto-optical effects are taken into account, resulting in a full 4×4 absorption matrix. Induced emission is neglected and complete frequency redistribution, in the rest and laboratory frames, is assumed. Pure Doppler absorption profile (gaussian shape) has also been assumed. The presentation of the results is preceded by a brief discussion of their accuracy and of the numerical difficulties that were met in the solution of the problem.On leave from the Dipartimento di Astronomia e Scienza dello Spazio, Università di Firenze, Largo E. Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze, Italia