Theoretical magnetotelluric response of stratiform earth consisting of alternative homogeneous and transitional layers

Abstract

Abstract The magnetotelluric (MT) responses are explicitly solved for a stratiform earth containing multiple transitional layers in which the conductivity varies linearly with depth. In the model under consideration, any one homogeneous layer with constant conductivity or transitional one may be absent in the geometry. The traditional one-dimensional (1D) models with sharp boundaries will be obtained if all the transitional layers are absent in the geometry, while a special 1D model consisting of a sequence of contiguous transitional layers may be obtained if all the homogeneous layers (except the basement layer) are removed from the geometry. The tangential electric and magnetic fields as well as the surface impedance are analytically expressed by Airy functions. The analytical formula is validated in three theoretical examples by comparing with the results from available codes. The apparent resistivity and impedance phase on the surface of three different transitional models are illustrated to analysis the influence of the transitional layers on MT responses. The new formula provides an alternative way to obtain the analytic MT responses for the special layered earth.