A simple algorithm for electrical imaging of the subsurface

Abstract

A simple algorithm for the inversion of electrical tomography data in the form of pseudosections has been developed. This uses the measured apparent resistivity data as the starting model for a two-dimensional finite difference iterative imaging scheme. Differences between the computed and measured pseudosections are used to apply corrections to the model so that over about ten iterations the model provides an acceptable inversion of the observed data. Example surveys across a landfill site, an igneous intrusion covered by sediment and a variety of models show that useful and valid electrical images of the subsurface can be produced. -Author