Surface Towed CSEM Systems for Shallow Water Mapping

Abstract:

We have developed a low-power, surface towed electric dipole-dipole system suitable for mapping seafloor geology in shallow water and deployable from small boats. The transmitter is capable of up to 50 amps output using 12 VDC from a 110/240 VAC power supply, and can generate an arbitrary GPS stabilized ternary waveform. Transmitter antennas are typically 50 to 100 m long. Receivers are built around the standard Scripps seafloor electrode, amplifier, and logging systems but housed in floating PVC cases and equipped with GPS timing and positioning, pitch/roll/heading sensors, and accelerometers. Receiver dipoles are 1.5 m long rigid booms held 1 m below the surface. As with the Scripps deep-towed Vulcan system, rigid antennas are used to avoid noise associated with flexible antennas moving across Earth's magnetic field. The tow cable is a simple floating rope up to 1000 m long. Water depth and conductivity are sampled continuously in order to provide constraints for apparent resistivity calculations and inversion, and moored seafloor recorders can be used to extend transmitter/receiver offsets. The entire system can be air freighted and transported in one utility vehicle. We will present results from a study to map permafrost in shallow water off Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.