Electric and magnetic galvanic distortion decomposition of tensor CSAMT data. Application to data from the Buchans Mine (Newfoundland, Canada)

We have developed a Marquardt-Levenberg inversion algorithm incorporating the effects of near-surface galvanic distortion into the electromagnetic (EM) response of a layered earth model. Different tests on synthetic model responses suggest that for the grounded source method, the magnetic distortion does not vanish for low frequencies. Including this effect is important, although to date it has been neglected. We have inverted 10 stations of controlled-source audio-magnetotellurics (CSAMT) data recorded near the Buchans Mine, Newfoundland, Canada. The Buchans Mine was one of the richest massive sulphide deposits in the world, and is situated in a highly resistive volcanogenic environment, substantially modified by thrust faulting. Preliminary work in the area demonstrated that the EM fields observed at adjacent stations show large differences due to the existence of mineralized fracture zones and variable overburden thickness. Our inversion results suggest a three-layered model that is appropriate for the Buchans Mine. The resistivity model correlates with the seismic reflection interpretation that documents the existence of two thrust packages. The distortion parameters obtained from the inversion concur with the synthetic studies that galvanic magnetic distortion is required to interpret the Buchans data since the magnetic component of the galvanic distortion does not vanish at low frequency