Alex Marcuello

New geophysical constraints on the deep structure of the Pyrenees

A 2D modeling of geoid/quasigeoid data across the Pyrenees is consistent with electromagnetic images of the Pyrenean lithospheric structure, showing a subducted Iberian lower crust. Using new magnetotelluric data acquired through the orogen, a 3D electrical conductivity model of the Pyrenean lithospheric structure is obtained. The most outstanding feature is the presence of a high conductivity zone at lower crustal depths along the orogen in the contact zone between the Iberian and European plates. The integration of various geophysical parameters suggests that the simplest and most reasonable mechanism to explain the observed data is partial melting of the subducted Iberian lower crust.

Electromagnetic imaging of a transpressional tectonics in SW Iberia

Forty-one magnetotelluric soundings were carried out along a 200 km-long profile (approximately NNE-SSW) across the three major geotectonic units in SW Iberia. A model obtained from two-dimensional inversion of the magnetotelluric data set reveals high conductivity zones in the middle-lower crust (10–30 km). Two of these zones correspond to the transition between the main geotectonic units: one between the South Portuguese Zone and the Ossa Morena Zone, interpreted as having been caused by metasediments, and the other between the Ossa Morena Zone and the Central Iberia Zone associated with a shear zone and metasediments. Another high conductivity anomaly related to black shales with major graphite impregnation was detected within the Ossa Morena Zone. The resistive features, located preferentially in the upper crust (1–10 km), coincide with gabbroic and granitic complexes.

Magnetotelluric survey of the electrical conductivity of the crust across the Ossa Morena Zone and South Portuguese Zone suture

Abstract The transition between the South Portuguese Zone (SPZ) and the Ossa Morena Zone (OMZ) is made up of a major geosuture, which is indicated by the Beja-Acebuches ophiolite. Several geological data suggest that this suture is the result of an oblique collision, with a northward propagation, between the SPZ and OMZ. From the structural point of view the OMZ is much more complex than the adjacent Central Iberian Zone and the SPZ. The frequently complicated internal structure is the result of superposition of various structural elements developed during different tectonic events. With the aim of providing new constraints to this complex deep structure a magnetotelluric (MT) survey was designed by the universities of Lisbon and Barcelona in the scope of the bilateral cooperation and the Europrobe programs. A first NNE–SSW profile across the SPZ and OMZ was carried out in September 1997. The profile is 40 km long and consists of nine deep MT soundings with periods ranging from 0.0039 to 4000 s. The time series were processed using a robust algorithm, after visual inspection. The study of the dimensionality and directionality of the regional electrical structures is based on the analysis of the induction arrows and the Groom–Bailey decomposition. A strike of N125E was determined, in accordance with regional geological features. 2-D inversion was undertaken on both TE and TM modes using the RRI method. The main feature of the model is a large conductive body (

2-D resistivity modeling; an approach to arrays parallel to the strike direction

An algorithm for two-dimensional electrical resistivity modeling using the finite-element method with mixed boundary conditions can calculate the electrical potential along any arbitrary direction. In the particular case of the direction parallel to the strike of the structure, a numerical singularity occurs. We resolved it by calculating the potential near the singularity and improving the involved interpolation of the transformed potential. Investigating the shape of potential in the Fourier transformed space, we conclude that this interpolation may combine logarithmic and exponential functions.

Monitoring freshwater-seawater interface dynamics with audiomagnetotelluric data

Saltwater intrusion is one of the main environmental concerns within coastal aquifers. In this study we test the audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) method as a technique that can detect changes in electrical resistivity as a result of seasonal groundwater salinity changes. AMT is a frequency domain electromagnetic induction technique ideally suited for hydrogeophysical investigations at the basin scale, specifically in low resistivity environments such as saltwater encroachments areas. We present numerical seawater intrusion models to explore the effects of saline content variability on the model resolution. Survey data were also acquired during a long-term AMT monitoring experiment in a natural condition aquifer system and these results were compared to the numerical modelling results. The aquifer system is located in the deltaic zone of the Tordera River (north-eastern of Iberian Peninsula), where a main paleochannel that works as a seawater intrusion path was already identified in previous studies. Every four months, between 2004 and 2006, seven AMT soundings were recorded along a 1700 m long profile over the paleochannel. The final models reveal dynamic changes in the seawater-freshwater interface that correspond directly with the hydrologic state of the aquifer system.

Feasibility of Monitoring the Hontomín (Burgos, Spain) CO2 Storage Site Using a Deep EM Source

Geophysical methods have been used experimentally during the last decade, a period of strong development, being adopted as complementary techniques for characterizing and monitoring hydrocarbon and gas reservoirs. In this study, we evaluated the ability of the controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) method to monitor the storage of CO2 at the Research Laboratory on Geological Storage of CO2 at Hontomín (Burgos, Spain). Two aspects of the CSEM monitoring were examined considering the geoelectrical structure at the site, the technological constraints and the noise conditions of the Hontomín area. Borehole-to-surface simulations were performed to evaluate the detectability of the resistivity changes in the reservoir and the capacity to determine the location of the CO2 plume. The synthetic time-lapse study explores the possibilities of CSEM monitoring with a deep electric source. Three depths of the source are analyzed: above the plume, inside the plume, and beneath the stored CO2. In terms of the Hontomín storage site, the study confirmed that a deep electric source located beneath the injection depth can provide valuable information on the behavior of the stored CO2.

Magnetotelluric signature of the western Cantabrian Mountains

The magnetotelluric signature of the Alpine part of the Cantabrian Mountains was investigated in a N-S magnetotelluric profile, from the Duero basin to the Cantabrian shoreline. A two-dimensional conductivity model was obtained from the joint inversion of TM, TE modes and the geomagnetic transfer functions. A shallow conductor associated with the sediments of the Duero basin, and three north-dipping conductors in the upper and middle crust were detected. Of the latter, one is interpreted as the sole detachment of the Cantabrian Mountains, whereas the others correlate with the Cabuerniga and San Vicente de la Barquera faults. This geometry suggests that the Cantabrian Mountains comprise uplifted Variscan basement. A comparison with a seismic reflection profile shows a good correlation between these conductors and seismic features. The lower crust is characterised by high conductivities.

The relative influence of different types of magnetotelluric data on joint inversions

Diverse magnetotelluric data (apparent resistivity, phase or geomagnetic transfer function) used during the inversion process provide different information on the model as a consequence of data error. The relative influence of these data constitutes a subject of interest on the inversion process. This influence can be evaluated from the error ratio between two types of data; thus, when phase and the logarithm of apparent resistivity are involved, the well-known ratio of one half is obtained. A new error ratio between the geomagnetic transfer function and the logarithm of apparent resistivity is presented. We deduced this ratio, which is bounded by one half of the amplitude of the geomagnetic transfer function. In order to verify this new ratio, we employed a technique based on the study of the RMS misfit, obtained after an intensive inversion computation whilst taking different error values for the different data. This technique was applied to synthetic and experimental data, and the results agree with the proposed value. This value should be taken into account for setting error floors when performing joint data inversion in order to obtain the same influence from the different data.

Vertical collapse origin of Las Cañadas caldera (Tenerife, Canary Islands) revealed by 3-D magnetotelluric inversion

Tenerife island geology is one of the most complexes of the Canaries archipelago. This complexity is evidenced by the existing controversy regarding the lateral or vertical collapse origin of the Las Canadas caldera. The resistivity structure of the Las Canadas caldera has been determined by the 3-D inversion of 188 broadband magnetotelluric data. The resistivity distribution obtained in the final model shows clear evidences of the presence of a vertical structure under the Teide, associated to the buried northern wall of the caldera. Additionally, the characteristics of the main resistivity structure, a ring-shaped low-resistivity body (<10 Ω m) interpreted as a hydrothermal clay alteration cap, would point out the presence of a handwall for the Icod Valley lateral landslide located under the Teide, but not in the southern caldera wall (current wall). All these support the vertical collapse hypothesis to explain the origin of the Las Canadas caldera.

A land controlled-source electromagnetic experiment using a deep vertical electric dipole: experimental settings, processing, and first data interpretation

A multichannel borehole-to-surface controlled-source electromagnetic experiment was carried out at the onshore CO2 storage site of Hontom´in (Spain). The electromagnetic source consisted of a vertical electric dipole located 1.5 km deep, and the electric field was measured at the surface. The subsurface response has been obtained by calculating the transfer function between the transmitted signal and the electric field at the receiver positions. The dataset has been processed using a fast processing methodology, appropriate to be applied on controlled-source electromagnetics (CSEM) data with a large signal-to-noise ratio. The dataset has been analysed in terms of data quality and repeatability errors, showing data with low experimental errors and good repeatability. We evaluate if the induction of current along the casing of the injection well can reproduce the behaviour of the experimental data.