February

16, 2010

Magnetotellurics

Je Lockridge, ASU
Nathaniel Borneman, ASU
EarthScope Seminar Class

Figures and informaGon referenced from

various internet sources

Why Magnetotellurics?
Magneto = magneGc
Telluric = electrical Earth currents
Magnetotellurics (MT) is a passive,
electromagneGc depth-sounding technique
that measures naturally occurring, Gme-
varying magneGc and electric elds at the
Earths surface.
The Goal: From these measurements we can
derive conducGvity (or resisGvity) esGmates
for the subsurface.

Passive MT Sources
1) Solar Wind - Charged parGcles from
solar storms interact with the Earths
magneGc eld.
(Long period 1 0.0001Hz)
2) Lightning - Ionosphere acts as a
wave-guide around the Earth.
(Short period > 1 Hz)

h]p://www.SearchandDiscovery.net
ArGcle #40025

Reduced signal of
Dead-band

From Simpson & Bahr (2005)

PracGcal Magnetotellurics textbook

The Physics Behind MT

(A brief overview)
We assume that the Earth follows Ohms Law: J = E
(J = electric current density, = conducGvity, E = electric eld strength)

We also assume that electric and magneGc waves propagate as

plane waves verGcally into the Earth inducing secondary
currents.
Therefore, we can use Maxwells correcGon to Amperes Law,
which states that a changing magneGc eld creates a electric
eld and a changing electric eld creates a magneGc eld.
Now we can take our surcial measurements of E & M currents
and use them to esGmate impedance (Z) as a funcGon of
period.
Impedance (Z) is the relaGon of electrical and magneGc eld
strength, normally represented as apparent resisGvity and
phase shii (or phase tensor ) between both elds.

What Can ResisGvity

Tell Us?
ResisGvity in nature is
very rock dependent
and can vary by orders
of magnitude.
Remember that
ResisGvity () = 1/, so
low resisGvity means
high conducGvity.
From MT Group @ FU Berlin
h]p://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~mtag/MT-
principles.html

Skin eect is the tendency of

an alternaGng electric current
(AC) to distribute itself within
a conductor so that the
current density near the
surface of the conductor is
greater than that at its core.
The skin eect causes the
eecGve resistance of the
conductor to increase with
the frequency of the current.
So in MT, detecGon depth or
skin depth 0.5 (T)
From Livelybrooks (U. Oregon) web page
h]p://hendrix2.uoregon.edu/~dlivelyb/LPE_t
alk/MT_intro.html

USArray MT StaGon Map

The magnetotelluric (MT)
component of USArray
consists of 7 (when fully
deployed) permanent MT
staGons and a mobile array
of 20 MT staGons that will
each be deployed for a
period of about one month
in regions of idenGed
interest with a spacing of
approximately 70 km.

From IRIS USArray web page

h]p://www.iris.edu/earthscope/usarray/

Typical MT StaGon Setup

From Max Moorkamp MT Intro ppt

www.dias.ie/~mm/mGntro.pdf

Typical MT StaGon Components

From Max Moorkamp MT Intro ppt

www.dias.ie/~mm/mGntro.pdf

Recording DuraGons

From Max Moorkamp MT Intro ppt

www.dias.ie/~mm/mGntro.pdf

Typical Data and Inversion

From Max Moorkamp MT Intro ppt

www.dias.ie/~mm/mGntro.pdf

Typical Results
Phase-tensor ellipses &
inducGon vectors

Hill, et al. (2009)

Phase-tensor based cross secGon

Typical Results

Maps of Geo-electric
strike direcGons

From Max Moorkamp MT Intro ppt

www.dias.ie/~mm/mGntro.pdf