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Fluid composition and distribution, the key factors determining geoelectric structure in a seismically active region, are controlled by local and regional stresses and rheological contrasts. Two closely located magnetotelluric and seismic velocity profiles are jointly interpreted to recover more accurately the structural boundaries and fluid distribution within the crust in the central Zagros collision zone, one of the world's most seismically active mountain belt. A multi-site and multi-frequency approach was used for the strike analysis of regional structure and decomposition of distortion effects on magnetotelluric data. Distortion corrected magnetotelluric data were then used for two-dimensional inversion modeling. The results indicate distinct conductive structures within the crust: (i) a thick conductive overburden in the southwest of the profile, (ii) high conductivities attributed to the fault zone conductors (FZCs) and (iii) an almost concave conductor extending from middle to lower crust in the central-eastern portion of the mountain belt, beneath the High Zagros (HZ). Comparison with the already available S-wave velocity structure, obtained by joint inversion of P-wave receiver functions and surface wave dispersion data shows that these main conductive features are spatially correlated with a low-velocity layer representative of the sedimentary cover overlying the Arabian platform and a velocity contrast bounded by the main Zagros thrust (MZT) fault, indicating the presence of fault zone fluids. The joint interpretation of magnetotelluric inverse modeling and seismicity data also shed light on fluid generation influencing rock deformation and seismicity in this region. It suggests that beneath the HZ, deep crustal fluids generated through metamorphism may promote aseismic deformations before high stresses are builtup and cause the north-eastern part of the Zagros Fold and Thrust Belt (ZFTB) to be seismically inactive compared to its southwestern part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lorca earthquake (May 11th, 2011, Mw 5.2) stands as the most destructive one in Spain over the last 50 years, interpreted as having occurred in an intersegment zone of the strike–slip Alhama de Murcia Fault (AMF) (Eastern Betics, Spain). Magnetotelluric data were acquired along a profile to the SW of Lorca (La Torrecilla profile), to characterize its signature at depth, as part of the multidisciplinary project "INTERGEOSIMA". Given the short distance between stations, some station pairs were recorded simultaneously, with magnetic sensors in only one of them. In order to properly understand the resulting impedances (called interstation impedances), and the effects of inverting them, we used synthetic models to compare the impedances and the interstation impedances and to analyze the corresponding inversion results, together with the inversion of the quasi-impedance (inversion of the interstation impedances, considering them as impedances). The results are sensitive to the location of the magnetic sensors and the resistivity underneath, but in general the use of the quasi-impedances in the inversion can be considered a valid procedure. Both the 2D and the 3D resistivity models obtained through the inversion allowed us to complement the previous ERT models and represent the continuation of the main fault gouge in depth showing its extension towards the SE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tenerife has been the subject of numerous studies covering a wide range of fields. Many studies have been focused on characterising the magmatic plumbing system. Even so, a controversy still exists regarding the location and size of the current magma chambers. Several magnetotelluric (MT) surveys have been carried out in the island, but no conductivity anomalies associated with the chambers have been detected. We report the results of a set of tests conducted against the 3-D resistivity model of the island, to determine the characteristics of the detectable chambers with the MT data. The most remarkable results indicate that the MT dataset is incompatible with a large-scale mafic reservoir located at shallower depths than 8 km b.s.l. However, shallower phonolitic chambers smaller than 3 × 3 × 1 km could be undetected by the existing MT sites and new data should be acquired to confirm or not their existence. This new information is essential in volcanic islands like Tenerife, since many volcanic hazards are related to the size and depth of the sources of magma. Additionally, a joint interpretation of the obtained results together with other information is summarised in a hypothetical model, allowing us to better understand the internal structure of the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of steel-cased wells and other infrastructure causes a significant change in the electromagnetic fields that has to be taken into consideration in modeling and interpretation of field data. A realistic and accurate simulation requires the borehole casing to be incorporated into the modeling scheme, which is numerically challenging. Due to the huge conductivity contrast between the casing and surrounding media, a spatial discretization that provides accurate results at different spatial scales ranging from millimeters to hundreds of meters is required. In this paper, we present a full 3D frequency-domain electromagnetic modeling based on a parallel finite-difference algorithm considering the casing effect and investigate its applicability on the borehole-to-surface configuration of the Hontomín CO storage site. To guarantee a robust solution of linear systems with highly ill-conditioned matrices caused by huge conductivity contrasts and multiple spatial scales in the model, we employ direct sparse solvers. Different scenarios are simulated in order to study the influence of the source position, conductivity model, and the effect of the steel casing on the measured data. Several approximations of the real hollow casing that allow for a large reduction in the number of elements in the resulting meshes are studied. A good agreement between the modeled responses and the real field data demonstrates the feasibility of simulating casing effects in complex geological areas. The steel casing of the well greatly increases the amplitude of the surface electromagnetic fields and thus improves the signal-to-noise ratio and the sensitivity to deep targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 CO at the Research Laboratory on Geological Storage of CO 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 CO 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 CO. 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 CO [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater management needs detailed aquifer characterization, especially in semiarid costal aquifer systems that are under hydrological pressure. Our study area is in the Tordera delta, northeastern coast of Spain, where a detrital fluvio-deltaic aquifer system has been developed above granitic basement. The main purpose of this study is to characterize the complex lithological structure and the seawater intrusion state by combining hydrological information, audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) and seismic reflection and refraction models. This allowed us to provide spatially continuous information about aquifer properties and processes. Thus, we have determined the thickness and continuity of the aquifer units, as well as the morphology and depth to the basement. The models revealed that the main seawater intrusion main path is found in the western deltaic area that coincides with an existing buried paleochannel. This new result explains the anomalously high chlorine concentrations observed in the deep semiconfined aquifer more than 1,500 m inland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]