Estimation of the correlation between magnetotelluric and geothermal data in the Bishkek geodynamic research area

The paper analyzes the correlation between the electrical conductivity and temperature in the upper crust of the Bishkek geodynamic research area (the Northern Tien Shan). Electrical conductivity profiles constructed from magnetotelluric data and thermograms from the boreholes near magnetotelluric sounding (MTS) points are used for estimations. The correlation analysis of conductivity and temperature profiles to depths of 3–4 km showed that, first, the correlation coefficients do not depend on the distance between the borehole and the nearest MTS point; second, the good correlation between the conductivity and temperature observed for the majority of borehole-MTS point pairs is accounted for by the fact that the study parameters vary with depth in a manner normal for laminated sedimentary rocks; and, third, a low correlation is due to specific features of the geological structure between the borehole and MTS point under consideration.     

A method for constructing high-order differential boundary conditions for solving external boundary value problems in geoelectromagnetism

A general approach to the construction of differential boundary conditions for vector fields satisfying the Helmholtz equation is proposed on the basis of the field expansion in multipole series and the application of annihilating operators to them. The resulting differential constraints can be used as boundary conditions in solving external boundary value problems. Examples of their application to the solution of forward geoelectric problems in three-dimensionally inhomogeneous media are examined. Their use at a finite distance from the source of an anomaly is shown to yield more accurate results than those obtained under the assumption that the anomalous field at this distance vanishes. Another effect of their application is a substantial decrease in the dimensions of the modeling domain and therefore in the time required to solve the forward problem. The “safe” distance for using the Dirichlet-type boundary conditions is estimated.     

Numerical simulation and inversion of MT fields in the 3D electric conductivity model of the Vesuvius volcano

Possibilities for three-dimensional (3D) magnetotelluric (MT) sounding of local objects contained in the Earth’s crust are estimated in a case study of the magma chamber of the Vesuvius volcano. Stochastic inversion of the model MT data by the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method has shown that the most efficient approach is not simultaneous but successive estimation of the geometry and the depth of the anomaly and the assessment of the conductivity distribution within the anomalous region. A zone of equivalence is revealed between the a priori estimate of the depth of the anomalous zone and the a posteriori distribution of electric conductivity within it. Based on the present estimation and previous results, an algorithm for determination of the parameters of local crustal anomaly is proposed.     

Methodology of the indirect temperature estimation basing on magnetotelluric data: Northern Tien Shan case study

Electrical conductivity of rocks being closely related to their temperature could serve as a proxy parameter to be used for indirect temperature estimation from the surface electromagnetic (EM) data. Studies are carried out aimed at estimating the feasibility of indirect temperature estimation in the geologically complicated areas of the Earth crust from the electromagnetic data collected at the surface. Basing on the neuronet analysis of magnetotelluric (MT) and temperature data measured at the Bishkek geodynamical testing ground in the northern Tien Shan, optimal methodologies for calibration and application of indirect electromagnetic geothermometer are developed. It is shown that the temperature estimation my means of the EM geothermometer calibrated by 6–8 temperature logs results in 12% average relative error (instead of 30% achieved using only temperature logs). The availability of prior geological information about the region under study and preliminary analysis of the local heterogeneities' indicators determined from the available MT data make it possible rejection of inappropriate site locations that may, in turn, decrease average error to only 11%.The results of the electromagnetic temperature extrapolation in depth indicate that the extrapolation accuracy essentially depends on the ratio between the well length and the extrapolation depth. In particular, in extrapolation to a depth twice as large as the well depth the relative error is 5–6%, and in case of its threefold excess the error is around 20%. This result makes it possible to increase significantly the deepness of indirect temperature estimation in the Earth interior (in particular, for geothermal exploration) based on the available temperature logs.     

Cytochrome P4501A expression,chemical contaminants and histopathology in roach,goby and sturgeon and chemical contaminants in sediments from the Caspian Sea,Lake Balkhash and the Ily River Delta,Kazakhstan

Roach, goby and sturgeon were examined for cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) expression and histopathology, in relation to contaminant burdens in fish and sediment. Gradients of induction of CYP1A were observed. Roach from the Ural and Ily River Deltas and roach and goby from the two stations nearest the Caspian Sea oil fields displayed higher levels of CYP1A expression in several organs than was observed in fish from further offshore. Great sturgeon and Russian sturgeon showed higher levels of CYP1A expression than was seen in starred sturgeon and gobies in the Ural delta. No fish showed evidence of contaminant-related histopathologies in the organs examined, despite the elevated CYP1A levels. Low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls and elevated levels of inshore and riverine petroleum hydrocarbons from these habitats suggest that this ongoing hydrocarbon exposure, and that from natural sources and long-term oil exploration on the Northeastern Caspian shore, contributed to the CYP1A induction observed.     

A conceptual model of the copper–porphyry ore formation based on joint analysis of deep 3D geophysical models: Sorskoe complex (Russia) case study

Joint analysis of deep three-dimensional models of the electrical resistivity, seismic velocity, and density of the complex hosting the Sorskoe Cu–Mo deposit (Russia) is carried out aimed at finding geophysical markers characterizing the areas of ore generation, transportation and deposition. The three-dimensional lithology model of the study area is built based on the empirical relationship between the silica content of the rocks and seismic velocities. It is in agreement with geological and geochemical studies provided in this area earlier and could be used as a basis for forecasting locations of the copper–molybdenum ore deposits at depth. A conceptual model of the copper–porphyry complex explaining the mechanisms of ore generation, transportation from the lower to the upper crust and deposition in the upper crust is suggested. In particular, it is supposed that post-magmatic supercritical gas–water ore-bearing fluids are upwelling through the plastic crust due to the sliding of the fluid films along the cleavage planes of the foliated rocks while at the depths of the brittle upper crust this mechanism could be changed by volumetric fluid transportation along the network of large pores and cracks.     

Electromagnetic 3D tomography of the Elbrus volcanic center according to magnetotelluric and satellite data

A geoelectric 3D model of the potentially active Elbrus volcano and its vicinities has been constructed using magnetotelluric data, which takes the volume model of the tectonic fragmentation field developed based on deciphering satellite photographs into account. An original method of searching for the correlation and determination of the character of the interrelation between the ground-based and satellite data has been used in this construction. The geoelectric 3D model constructed includes two conducting objects located at different depths. One of the objects, with a resistivity of 25–40 Ω m, located at depths of 0–10 km, is most intense at a depth of 5 km, where the object is quasi-isometric in shape and has a radius of 10 km along the 40–60 Ω m contour lines. Another object with a resistivity of 10–40 Ω m is located at a depth of ～45 km, where its dimensions along the contour line for 40 Ω m are 35 and 15 km in latitude and longitude, respectively. The thickness of the conducting core is approximately 20 km. The upper and lower objects can be interpreted as a volcano magma chamber and a volcano parent chamber, respectively.