Abstract
Since the ocean bottom is a sedimentary environment wherein stratification is well developed, the use of an anisotropic model is best for studying its geology. Beginning with Maxwell’s equations for an anisotropic model, we introduce scalar potentials based on the divergence-free characteristic of the electric and magnetic (EM) fields. We then continue the EM fields down into the deep earth and upward into the seawater and couple them at the ocean bottom to the transmitting source. By studying both the DC apparent resistivity curves and their polar plots, we can resolve the anisotropy of the ocean bottom. Forward modeling of a high-resistivity thin layer in an anisotropic half-space demonstrates that the marine DC resistivity method in shallow water is very sensitive to the resistive reservoir but is not influenced by airwaves. As such, it is very suitable for oil and gas exploration in shallowwater areas but, to date, most modeling algorithms for studying marine DC resistivity are based on isotropic models. In this paper, we investigate one-dimensional anisotropic forward modeling for marine DC resistivity method, prove the algorithm to have high accuracy, and thus provide a theoretical basis for 2D and 3D forward modeling.
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This paper is financially supported by the National Hi-tech Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2012AA09A20103).
Yin Chang-Chun earned his Ph.D. in 1999 from the Department of Physics, TU University of Braunschweig, Germany. Before returning to China, he was a senior research scientist at FUGRO, Canada. In 2011, he joined the faculty of Jilin University, China. His research interests include electromagnetic forward modeling and inversion theory for airborne and marine electromagnetics.
Zhang Ping graduated from Jilin University in exploration technology and engineering (2014). He is currently a postgraduate in Jilin University and is mainly engaged in the modeling and inversion of electromagnetic anisotropic media.
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Yin, CC., Zhang, P. & Cai, J. Forward modeling of marine DC resistivity method for a layered anisotropic earth. Appl. Geophys. 13, 279–287 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11770-016-0560-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11770-016-0560-2