Time-domain Controlled Source Electromagnetic Research Articles

Solution of large-scale 3D controlled-source electromagnetic modeling problem using efficient iterative solvers

With geophysical surveys evolving from traditional 2D to 3D models, the large volume of data adds challenges to inversion, especially when aiming to resolve complex 3D structures. An iterative forward solver for the controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) method requires less memory than that for a direct solver; however, it is not easy to iteratively solve an ill-conditioned linear system of equations arising from finite-element discretization of Maxwell’s equations. To solve this problem, we have developed efficient and robust iterative solvers for frequency- and time-domain CSEM modeling problems. For the frequency-domain problem, we first transform the linear system into its equivalent real-number format, and then introduce an optimal block-diagonal preconditioner. Because the condition number of the preconditioned linear equation system has an upper bound of [Formula: see text], we can achieve fast solution convergence when applying a flexible generalized minimum residual solver. Applying the block preconditioner further results in solving two smaller linear systems with the same coefficient matrix. For the time-domain problem, we first discretize the partial differential equation for the electric field in time using an unconditionally stable backward Euler scheme. We then solve the resulting linear equation system iteratively at each time step. After the spatial discretization in the frequency domain, or space-time discretization in the time domain, we exploit the conjugate-gradient solver with auxiliary-space preconditioners derived from the Hiptmair-Xu decomposition to solve these real linear systems. Finally, we check the efficiency and effectiveness of our iterative methods by simulating complex CSEM models. The most significant advantage of our approach is that the iterative solvers we adopt have almost the same accuracy and robustness as direct solvers but require much less memory, rendering them more suitable for large-scale 3D CSEM forward modeling and inversion.

A comparative study of inline and broadside time-domain controlled-source electromagnetic methods for mapping resistive targets on land

The land-based controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) method is an important tool in mapping subsurface resistivity contrast, especially for conductive target embedded in a resistive environment. For resistive targets on land, choosing an appropriate configuration to a specific field observation is quite confusing, due to the lack of systematic comparisons of different methods. We have conducted a comparison between the broadside and inline time-domain CSEM methods, using the short-offset transient electromagnetic (SOTEM) method and multitransient electromagnetic (MTEM) method as representatives respectively. We first compared the resolution of these methods by analyzing the relative target response and the misfit space of the designed models. We found that the inline MTEM method had advantages over the SOTEM method in resolving the thin resistive layer. We have developed a weighted joint inversion scheme to enhance the vertical resolution of the MTEM method. We then applied the methods to the investigation of a giant molybdenum deposit. The orebody, which is the real target of the exploration, does not have a conductivity contrast with its host. However, it sits on top of the granite porphyry, which is resistive compared with its surroundings, and so the granite porphyry becomes the resistive target for EM exploration. The results indicated that both methods are effective in locating large resistive target, yet the MTEM method outperforms the SOTEM method when a thick conductive overburden is presented.

Bayesian inversion of marine controlled source electromagnetic data offshore Vancouver Island, Canada

This paper applies nonlinear Bayesian inversion to marine controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) data collected near two sites of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 311 on the northern Cascadia Margin to investigate subseafloor resistivity structure related to gas hydrate deposits and cold vents. The Cascadia margin, off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, has a large accretionary prism where sediments are under pressure due to convergent plate boundary tectonics. Gas hydrate deposits and cold vent structures have previously been investigated by various geophysical methods and seabed drilling. Here, we invert time-domain CSEM data collected at Sites U1328 and U1329 of IODP Expedition 311 using Bayesian methods to derive subsurface resistivity model parameters and uncertainties. The Bayesian information criterion is applied to determine the amount of structure (number of layers in a depth-dependent model) that can be resolved by the data. The parameter space is sampled with the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm in principal-component space, utilizing parallel tempering to ensure wider and efficient sampling and convergence. Nonlinear inversion allows analysis of uncertain acquisition parameters such as time delays between receiver and transmitter clocks as well as input electrical current amplitude. Marginalizing over these instrument parameters in the inversion accounts for their contribution to the geophysical model uncertainties. One-dimensional inversion of time-domain CSEM data collected at measurement sites along a survey line allows interpretation of the subsurface resistivity structure. The data sets can be generally explained by models with 1 to 3 layers. Inversion results at U1329, at the landward edge of the gas hydrate stability zone, indicate a sediment unconformity as well as potential cold vents which were previously unknown. The resistivities generally increase upslope due to sediment erosion along the slope. Inversion results at U1328 on the middle slope suggest several vent systems close to Bullseye vent in agreement with ongoing interdisciplinary observations.