The distortion and misinterpretation of TEM responses caused by the IP effect

Abstract

Abstract Transient electromagnetic surveys are commonly conducted to map the distribution of resistivity, a key physical property in mineral exploration and other geological prospecting problems. However, the responses obtained in regions associated with chargeable minerals are always distorted by the induced polarization effects. In this study, the distorted responses are initially simulated in the frequency domain employing the Cole–Cole complex resistivity model and subsequently converted into the time domain through a time-frequency transformation method. A uniform half-space model is employed to validate the algorithm and illustrate the distortion characteristics of the responses in polarizable formations. A three-layer model is designed to estimate the misinterpretation of slightly complicated models. An actual misinterpretation is demonstrated by field responses containing induced polarization effects collected in the Wulong Gold Mine. The results show that the distortions under different geoelectrical conditions are consistent, enhancing the responses in the early stage and counteracting the responses in the late stage. The strong induced polarizable effects distort the responses by causing explicit sign reversals, whereas the weak induced polarizable effects only distort the decay rate of the responses. These distortions are prone to causing misinterpretations and resulting in excessively intricate geological structures.