Inversion strategies for seismic surface waves and time-domain electromagnetic data with application to geotechnical characterization examples.

Geophysical methods are broadly used to map the subsurface. Their ability to investigate large areas in a short time and to reach significant depths with good resolution makes them suitable for a wide range of applications: from hydrological studies, mineral exploration, archaeological investigations to geotechnical characterization. Unfortunately, most of the geophysical methods are ill-posed. Thus, to be able to effectively invert the geophysical data and get meaningful models of the subsurface a priori information needs to be included in the process. This is the basic idea behind the inversion theory. This thesis deals with the inversion of two types of geophysical measurements: the Seismic Surface Waves (SSW) data and the Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) observations. The present work consists of two parts: (1) The first one is about possible implementations of the minimum gradient support stabilizer into a SSW inversion routine and its extension to the laterally constrained case. By means of this novel approach, it is possible to tune the level of sparsity of the reconstructed velocity model, providing a solution with the desirable characteristics (smooth or sharp) in both directions (vertically and laterally). The capabilities of the proposed approach have been tested via applications on synthetic and measured data. (2) The second part of the thesis is about the joint interpretation of SSW and TDEM measurements for an improved geotechnical characterization of an area intended for construction. In this case, the SSW results, together with other ancillary data, are used as prior information for the subsequent inversion of TDEM measurements. In this respect, the SSW results have been translated into pieces of information to be used in the TDEM inversion via a petrophysical relationship. This work is coherent with one of the goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, specifically, the item 11b, as geotechnical characterization is one of the essential components for the design of civil engineering works, ensuring the necessary safety and resilience to natural disasters and climate change. However, the field of application of the proposed approaches is very broad as they can also be used, e.g., for groundwater mapping, as well as for the evaluation of aquifer contamination. In this respect, the present work is also in line with items 6.1, 6.3 and 6.4 of the 2030 UN Agenda

Deep Electromagnetic Studies from Land, Sea, and Space: Progress Status in the Past 10Years

This review paper summarizes advances in deep electromagnetic studies of the Earth in the past decade. The paper reports progress in data interpretation, with special emphasis on three-dimensional and quasi one-dimensional developments, and results. The results obtained from data of different origin—geomagnetic observatories, long-period magnetotelluric experiments, submarines cables, and from low-Earth orbiting geomagnetic satellite missions—are described. Both frequency-domain and time-domain approaches are addressed. Perspectives for the future are also discusse

Three-dimensional modelling and inversion of controlled source electromagnetic data

The marine Controlled Source Electromagnetic (CSEM) method is an important and almost self-contained discipline in the toolkit of methods used by geophysicists for probing the earth. It has increasingly attracted attention from industry during the past decade due to its potential in detecting valuable natural resources such as oil and gas. A method for three-dimensional CSEM modelling in the frequency domain is presented. The electric field is decomposed in primary and secondary components, as this leads to a more stable solution near the source position. The primary field is computed using a resistivity model for which a closed form of solution exists, for example a homogeneous or layered resistivity model. The secondary electric field is computed by discretizing a second order partial differential equation for the electric field, also referred in the literature as the vector Helmholtz equation, using the edge finite element method. A range of methods for the solution of the linear system derived from the edge finite element discretization are investigated. The magnetic field is computed subsequently, from the solution for the electric field, using a local finite difference approximation of Faraday’s law and an interpolation method. Tests, that compare the solution obtained using the presented method with the solution computed using alternative codes for 1D and 3D synthetic models, show that the implemented approach is suitable for CSEM forward modelling and is an alternative to existing codes. An algorithm for 3D inversion of CSEM data in the frequency domain was developed and implemented. The inverse problem is solved using the L-BFGS method and is regularized with a smoothing constraint. The inversion algorithm uses the presented forward modelling scheme for the computation of the field responses and the adjoint field for the computation of the gradient of the misfit function. The presented algorithm was tested for a synthetic example, showing that it is capable of reconstructing a resistivity model which fits the synthetic data and is close to the original resistivity model in the least-squares sense. Inversion of CSEM data is known to lead to images with low spatial resolution. It is well known that integration with complementary data sets mitigates this problem. It is presented an algorithm for the integration of an acoustic velocity model, which is known a priori, in the inversion scheme. The algorithm was tested in a synthetic example and the results demonstrate that the presented methodology is promising for the improvement of resistivity models obtained from CSEM data

Andean Hydrothermal and Structural System Dynamics: Insights from 3D Magnetotelluric Inverse Modelling

In an active volcanic arc, magmatically sourced fluids are channelled through the brittle crust by structural features inherent in the lithological setting. This interaction is observed in the Andean volcanic mountain chain, where volcanoes, geothermal springs and major mineral deposits are spatially coherent with first-order NNE oriented thrust fault systems, and convergent-margin oblique WNW striking Andean Transverse Faults (ATF). The volcanic and hydrothermal activity at Tinguiririca and Planchón-Peteroa volcanoes demonstrate this relationship, as both volcanic complexes and their spatially associated thermal springs show strike alignment to the outcropping NNE oriented El Fierro thrust fault system. This study aims to constrain the 3D architecture of this fault system in the proximity of the volcanoes and its interaction with volcanically sourced hydrothermal fluids from a combined magnetotelluric (MT) and seismic field study. Data from a 24 station broadband magnetotelluric survey were interpreted using 3D inversion. Over 700 seismic hypocentres from a 12 station coeval seismic survey are also presented in support of the final 3D conductivity model. The combined results show a correlation of conductivity anomalies with seismic clusters in the top 10 km of the crust, including a distinct seismogenic WNW oriented feature that occurs at an abrupt electrical conductivity contrast, which is most apparent at a 6 km depth. It is concluded that this discrete feature is an Andean Transverse Fault (ATF), and that the conductors are signatures of either geothermal fluid reservoirs or fluid saturated lithologies at depth. The associated fluids are channelled parallel to the margin-oblique ATF plane and cause fault reactivation due to increased pore fluid pressure acting on the fault plane. Seismicity induced by this mechanism is limited to the east of the El Fierro fault system, as fluids are compartmentalized along the footwall due to the low permeability fault core that prevent cross-fault fluid migration. This study thus contributes novel insight into how WNW oriented AFT systems interact with local volcanic, structural and hydrothermal systems

a feasibility study for the spatial reconstruction of conductivity distributions by means of sensitivities

To enhance interpretation capabilities of transient electromagnetic (TEM) methods, a multidimensional inverse solution is introduced, which allows for a explicit sensitivity calculation with reduced computational effort. The main conservation of computational load is obtained by solving Maxwell's equations directly in time domain. This is achieved by means of a high efficient Krylov-subspace technique that is particularly developed for the fast computation of EM fields in the diffusive regime. Traditional modeling procedures for Maxwell's equations yields solutions independently for every frequency or, in the time domain, at a given time through explicit time stepping. Because of this, frequency domain methods are rendered extremely time consuming for multi-frequency simulations. Likewise the stability conditions required by explicit time stepping techniques often result in highly inefficient calculations for large diffusion times and conductivity contrasts. The computation of sensitivities is carried out using the adjoint Green functions approach. For time domain applications, it is realized by convolution of the background electrical field information, originating from the primary signal, with the impulse response of the receiver acting as secondary source. In principle, the adjoint formulation may be extended allowing for a fast gradient calculation without calculating and storing the whole sensitivity matrix but just the gradient of the data residual. This technique, which is also known as migration, is widely used for seismic and, to some extend, for EM methods as well. However, the sensitivity matrix, which is not easily given by migration techniques, plays a central role in resolution analysis and would therefore be discarded ...thesi

Development and application of 2D and 3D transient electromagnetic inverse solutions based on adjoint Green functions: A feasibility study for the spatial reconstruction of conductivity distributions by means of sensitivities

To enhance interpretation capabilities of transient electromagnetic (TEM) methods, a multidimensional inverse solution is introduced, which allows for a explicit sensitivity calculation with reduced computational effort. The main conservation of computational load is obtained by solving Maxwell's equations directly in time domain. This is achieved by means of a high efficient Krylov-subspace technique that is particularly developed for the fast computation of EM fields in the diffusive regime. Traditional modeling procedures for Maxwell's equations yields solutions independently for every frequency or, in the time domain, at a given time through explicit time stepping. Because of this, frequency domain methods are rendered extremely time consuming for multi-frequency simulations. Likewise the stability conditions required by explicit time stepping techniques often result in highly inefficient calculations for large diffusion times and conductivity contrasts. The computation of sensitivities is carried out using the adjoint Green functions approach. For time domain applications, it is realized by convolution of the background electrical field information, originating from the primary signal, with the impulse response of the receiver acting as secondary source. In principle, the adjoint formulation may be extended allowing for a fast gradient calculation without calculating and storing the whole sensitivity matrix but just the gradient of the data residual. This technique, which is also known as migration, is widely used for seismic and, to some extend, for EM methods as well. However, the sensitivity matrix, which is not easily given by migration techniques, plays a central role in resolution analysis and would therefore be discarded. But, since it allows one to discriminate features in the a posteriori model which are data or regularization driven, it would therefore be very likely additional information to have. The additional cost of its storage and explicit computation is comparable low disbursement to the gain of a posteriori model resolution analysis. Inversion of TEM data arising from various types of sources is approached by two different methods. Both methods reconstruct the subsurface electrical conductivity properties directly in the time domain. A principal difference is given by the space dimensions of the inversion problems to be solved and the type of the optimization procedure. For two-dimensional (2D) models, the ill-posed and non-linear inverse problem is solved by means of a regularized Gauss-Newton type of optimization. For three-dimensional (3D) problems, due to the increase of complexity, a simpler, gradient based minimization scheme is presented. The 2D inversion is successfully applied to a long offset (LO)TEM survey conducted in the Arava basin (Jordan), where the joint interpretation of 168 transient soundings support the same subsurface conductivity structure as the one derived by inversion of a Magnetotelluric (MT) experiment. The 3D application to synthetic data demonstrates, that the spatial conductivity distribution can be reconstructed either by deep or shallow TEM sounding methods

Geophysics for Mineral Exploration

This Special Issue contains ten papers which focus on emerging geophysical techniques for mineral exploration, novel modeling, and interpretation methods, including joint inversions of multi physics data, and challenging case studies. The papers cover a wide range of mineral deposits, including banded iron formations, epithermal gold–silver–copper–iron–molybdenum deposits, iron-oxide–copper–gold deposits, and prospecting forgroundwater resources

The emergence of hydrogeophysics for improved understanding of subsurface processes over multiple scales

Geophysics provides a multi-dimensional suite of investigative methods that are transforming our ability to see into the very fabric of the subsurface environment, and monitor the dynamics of its fluids and the biogeochemical reactions that occur within it. Here, we document how geophysical methods have emerged as valuable tools for investigating shallow subsurface processes over the past two decades and offer a vision for future developments relevant to hydrology and also ecosystem science. The field of “hydrogeophysics” arose in the late 1990s, prompted, in part, by the wealth of studies on stochastic subsurface hydrology that argued for better field-based investigative techniques. These new hydrogeophysical approaches benefited from the emergence of practical and robust data inversion techniques, in many cases with a view to quantify shallow subsurface heterogeneity and the associated dynamics of subsurface fluids. Furthermore, the need for quantitative characterization stimulated a wealth of new investigations into petrophysical relationships that link hydrologically relevant properties to measurable geophysical parameters. Development of time-lapse approaches provided a new suite of tools for hydrological investigation, enhanced further with the realization that some geophysical properties may be sensitive to biogeochemical transformations in the subsurface environment, thus opening up the new field of “biogeophysics”. Early hydrogeophysical studies often concentrated on relatively small ‘plot-scale’ experiments. More recently, however, the translation to larger-scale characterization has been the focus of a number of studies. Geophysical technologies continue to develop, driven, in part, by the increasing need to understand and quantify key processes controlling sustainable water resources and ecosystem services