Applicability of Transient Electromagnetic Surveys to Permafrost Imaging in Arctic West Siberia

Abstract

Detection of faults and other zones of weakness in shallow permafrost to a few hundreds of meters is extremely important for ensuring the safety during the production and transportation of fuels (oil and gas). The construction of line facilities (power lines and pipelines) should be preceded by detailed surveys in order to localize major areas of potential hazard. Furthermore, reliable geophysical methods are necessary for exploration of gas hydrates. This research aims at proving that induction-based electromagnetic surveys are applicable for permafrost studies and at finding new evidence for the similarity and difference of the permafrost structure in different regions of Northern Siberia. TEM curves are collected in several regions of Northern Siberia with continuous, mostly continuous, and discontinuous permafrost. Transient electromagnetic (TEM) surveys performed in the Russian Arctic image the permafrost structure to a depth of 500 m. The data are acquired with telemetric systems that allow varying the survey design and loop configuration. Advanced processing tools are used to provide geologically essential information from late-time records, while optimized inversion algorithms are applied to obtain high-quality layered resistivity models. The resulting geoelectric models reveal evident variations in the thickness of highly resistive frozen rocks and the presence of unfrozen patches. The induction surveys, which require no galvanic contact with the earth and no grounding, are inferred to be best suitable for imaging the frozen shallow subsurface. The TEM-based resistivity patterns clearly resolve the permafrost base, as well as the contours of unfrozen zones (taliks), lenses of saline water (cryopegs), gas hydrates, and frost heaving features. The reported results can make basis for the choice of geophysical methods for permafrost studies in such harsh conditions as the Russian Arctic. Furthermore, the presented resistivity patterns can make reference for future studies of permafrost in Northern Siberia.