Efficient Probabilistic Joint Inversion of Direct Current Resistivity and Small-Loop Electromagnetic Data

Abstract

Often, multiple geophysical measurements are sensitive to the same subsurface parameters. In this case, joint inversions are mostly preferred over two (or more) separate inversions of the geophysical data sets due to the expected reduction of the non-uniqueness in the joint inverse solution. This reduction can be quantified using Bayesian inversions. However, standard Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approaches are computationally expensive for most geophysical inverse problems. We present the Kalman ensemble generator (KEG) method as an efficient alternative to the standard MCMC inversion approaches. As proof of concept, we provide two synthetic studies of joint inversion of frequency domain electromagnetic (FDEM) and direct current (DC) resistivity data for a parameter model with vertical variation in electrical conductivity. For both studies, joint results show a considerable improvement for the joint framework over the separate inversions. This improvement consists of (1) an uncertainty reduction in the posterior probability density function and (2) an ensemble mean that is closer to the synthetic true electrical conductivities. Finally, we apply the KEG joint inversion to FDEM and DC resistivity field data. Joint field data inversions improve in the same way seen for the synthetic studies.