Magnetotelluric Studies of the Electrical Conductivity Structure of the Crust and Upper Mantle

Author(s):  
T. R. Madden ◽  
C. M. Swift
1983 ◽  
pp. 288-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Jödicke ◽  
J. Untiedt ◽  
W. Olgemann ◽  
L. Schulte ◽  
V. Wagenitz

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 165-180
Author(s):  
I. Yu. Nikolaev ◽  
T. K. Burakhovych ◽  
A. M. Kushnir ◽  
Ye. M. Sheremet

The three-dimensional geoelectric model of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle of the Kerch Peninsula has been built for the first time based on the results of experimental observations of the Earth’s low-frequency electromagnetic field, carried out in 2007—2013 by the Institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Its physical and geological interpretation and detailing of the near-surface part were carried out according to the data of the audiomagnetotelluric sounding method to study the deep structure of the Kerch iron ore basin. To the east of the Korsak-Feodosiya fault along the southern part of the Indolo-Kuban trough (in the north of the South Kerch and almost under the entire North Kerch zones), a low-resistance anomaly (ρ=1 Ohm∙m) was found at depths from 2.5 km to 12 km about 20 km wide. Its eastern part is located in the consolidated Earth’s crust and is galvanically connected with surface sedimentary strata, while the western part is completely in sedimentary deposits. The anomaly covers the territory of the Kerch iron ore basin and occurrences of mud volcanism. The characteristics of the upper part of the layered section of the Kerch Peninsula in the interval of the first hundreds of meters were obtained from the results of one-dimensional inversion of the audiomagnetotelluric sounding data (frequency range 8—4000 Hz). It is shown that the first 15 m of the section, corresponding to Quaternary deposits, have resistivity values up to 1 Ohm∙m. Below, in the Neogene sediments, the electrical resistance increases to values of 5 Ohm∙m and more. Both horizontally and vertically, the distribution of resistivity values has a variable character, manifesting as a thin-layered structure with low resistivity values. Possibly, such areas have a direct connection with the channel for transporting hummock material and gases. A connection is assumed between the low-resistivity thin-layered near-surface areas, a deep anomaly of electrical conductivity in the upper part of the Earth’s crust, and the likely high electrical conductivity of rocks at the depths of the upper mantle with iron ore deposits, as well as the manifestation of mud volcanism. The heterogeneity of the crustal and mantle highly conductive layers may indicate a high permeability of the contact zones for deep fluids.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanyong Liu ◽  
Xiaozhi Yang

<p>Eclogite is an important constituent of subduction slabs and plays a critical role in transporting surface materials (e.g., water) into the deep Earth. Eclogite consists mainly of omphacite and garnet. Although nominally anhydrous, omphacite and garnet contain some amount of structural water (OH) in the lattice, which is up to >1500 ppm wt. H<sub>2</sub>O. This is virtually the highest content in nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs) derived from the crust and upper mantle (Ingrin and Skogby, 2000). The electrical property of NAMs is very sensitive to water content and a small amount of water could dramatically enhance the conductivity. Thus, laboratory measured conductivity data of omphacite and garnet may help to understand the deep water recycling by eclogitized slab.</p><p>In this study, we have systemically determined the conductivity of omphacite and garnet with different water contents. The experiments were carried out at 350-800 °C, 1 GPa (note that the effect of pressure itself on conductivity is very small) and Ni-NiO buffered conditions. The data show that the conductivity of both omphacite and garnet increases with water content or temperature. The bulk conductivity is then modeled for different mineral compositions and water contents over a range of conditions (Liu et al., 2019). In combination with the geophysically documented high resistivity of the crustal part in deep subducted slabs, we suggest that the water content in omphacite and garnet in the deep-subducted eclogites should not be high at mantle depths. This provides new insights into the deep water recycling by subducted eclogites.</p><p> </p><p><strong>References:</strong></p><p>Ingrin, J., and Skogby, H., 2000, Hydrogen in nominally anhydrous upper-mantle minerals: Concentration levels and implications: European Journal of Mineralogy, 12, 543–570.</p><p>Liu, H., Zhu, Q., and Yang, X., 2019, Electrical conductivity of OH-bearing omphacite and garnet in eclogite: the quantitative dependence on water content: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 174, doi:10.1007/s00410-019-1593-3.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>


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