On the question of the interrelation between variations in crustal electrical conductivity and geodynamical processes

Abstract

The behavior of the variations in the crustal electrical conductivity in a wide range of periods is studied from the data of magnetotelluric soundings (MTS) during the Kambarata experiment (a strong industrial explosion to construct the blast-fill dam on the Naryn river), as well as at Aksu, a stationary geophysical monitoring point. The concept of the interrelation between the stress-strain state of the medium and the change in the apparent electrical resistivity, which is based on the idea of the redistribution of mineralized solutions between the crack networks, is confirmed experimentally. A procedure of azimuthal monitoring is developed, which allowed us not only to identify the anomalous changes in the module and phase of apparent resistivity but also to establish the directions of their maximum increases and decreases (the axes of compression and tension). For 34 points of deep MTS in the territory of Central Tien Shan, the depth intervals in the upper crust that are most sensitive to the changes in the stress-strain state of the medium are established. The variations in the electrical conductivity are compared with the solar-lunar tidal impacts. It is shown that by analyzing the recorded time series, it is possible to recognize the characteristic signs of the changes in the stress-strain state of the medium that are caused by seismic events.