Negative apparent chargeability in time-domain induced polarisation data
Author
Summary, in English
It appears to be relatively common to assume that negative apparent chargeability data in time-domain induced polarisation (IP) surveying is a sign of bad data quality. Negative IP data can however occur as a consequence of the distribution of chargeable zones in the ground, which is well documented in literature. A general mechanism behind negative IP data is proposed as follows; if the chargeable zones are mainly located in zones of negative sensitivity, and there is low or no chargeability in the positive sensitivity volumes in the investigated volume, it will result in negative apparent chargeability.
Numerical modelling confirms that the phenomenon will typically occur for longer electrode separation if the chargeability is concentrated in a thin layer at the surface only, but that other distributions of the chargeable bodies can also cause negative IP data. Different electrode arrays differ in tendency to produce negative IP data, where dipole-dipole and pole-dipole arrays are more prone to generate negative data than nested arrays in the modelled examples. In addition to the relative location of the chargeable zone the resistivity is important for its impact on the apparent chargeability.
Field data recorded in connection with the 3rd International IP Workshop on Ile d’Oleron in April 2014 confirm that negative apparent chargeability can be caused by a thin chargeable layer at the surface. The abundant negative IP data can be explained by an inverted model with low residuals, in which the chargeability is concentrated in a thin layer with modest chargeability close to the surface. Removing the data with negative apparent chargeability before inversion results in apparently poor resolution of the bottom layer and artefacts that are not present in the inversion results from the original data set. The results clearly demonstrate that negative apparent chargeability data can be a result of the distribution of chargeable zones in relation to the sensitivity distribution, and that such data should not be edited away on a routine basis since they contain important information.
Numerical modelling confirms that the phenomenon will typically occur for longer electrode separation if the chargeability is concentrated in a thin layer at the surface only, but that other distributions of the chargeable bodies can also cause negative IP data. Different electrode arrays differ in tendency to produce negative IP data, where dipole-dipole and pole-dipole arrays are more prone to generate negative data than nested arrays in the modelled examples. In addition to the relative location of the chargeable zone the resistivity is important for its impact on the apparent chargeability.
Field data recorded in connection with the 3rd International IP Workshop on Ile d’Oleron in April 2014 confirm that negative apparent chargeability can be caused by a thin chargeable layer at the surface. The abundant negative IP data can be explained by an inverted model with low residuals, in which the chargeability is concentrated in a thin layer with modest chargeability close to the surface. Removing the data with negative apparent chargeability before inversion results in apparently poor resolution of the bottom layer and artefacts that are not present in the inversion results from the original data set. The results clearly demonstrate that negative apparent chargeability data can be a result of the distribution of chargeable zones in relation to the sensitivity distribution, and that such data should not be edited away on a routine basis since they contain important information.
Department/s
Publishing year
2015
Language
English
Pages
322-332
Publication/Series
Journal of Applied Geophysics
Volume
123
Full text
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Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Elsevier
Topic
- Geophysics
Keywords
- chargeability
- negative
- TDIP
- time-domain
- induced polarisation
Status
Published
Project
- Geoelectrical Imaging for Site Investigation for Urban Underground Infrastructure
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0926-9851