Transient electromagnetic fields of a vertical magnetic dipole on a two-layer earth

Abstract

The transient fields of a vertical magnetic dipole on a two-layer earth model are expressed in analytical form using two different approaches. In the first, the fields in the time domain are obtained as the inverse Laplace transforms of derived full wave time-harmonic solutions, while in the second, the concept of natural frequencies of the stratified earth is utilized. Comparison with a previously obtained approximate solution reveals that the latter is the late time part of the present solution. Important features in the waveforms of the surface fields due to step and pulsed current excitations are demonstrated by a variety of numerical examples. These features provide diagnostic means of sensing the earth's stratification, overburden thickness, and the ratio of conductivities of the layers.