Experience in conducting magnetotelluric surveys using active electrodes with preamplifiers in the Prydz Bay area, East Antarctica
Authors:
About authors
- 1 — Engineer of the 2nd Category Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University ▪ Orcid
- 2 — Postgraduate Student Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University ▪ Orcid
- 3 — Ph.D., Dr.Sci. Head of Department Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University ▪ Orcid
- 4 — Engineerof the 1st Category Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University ▪ Orcid
- 5 — Ph.D. Leading Engineer Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University ▪ Orcid
- 6 — Engineer of the 2nd Category Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University ▪ Orcid
- 7 — Ph.D. Associate Professor Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University ▪ Orcid
Abstract
The article presents the results of experimental and methodological work on the use of magnetotelluric sounding in the area of the Russian Progress Station (Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica). The research was accomplished by a field team from the Saint Petersburg Mining University in the course of the 71st Russian Antarctic Expedition (2025-2026) and is a continuation of the comprehensive geological and geophysical studies of East Antarctica. The main focus is on the practical application of the method in high polar latitudes. Issues related to ensuring the operability of the equipment, fieldwork logistics, and the influence of physiographic conditions on measurements are considered. The study of the geological structure of the Antarctic continent is complicated by the occurrence of a thick ice sheet which ensures the leading role of geophysical methods in solving this problem. The article presents the results of practical application of the Russian Nord electrical prospecting hardware-software measurement system and the Canadian MTU-5A together with preamplifiers designed to compensate for a high grounding contact resistance. The experimental and methodological survey line is laid across the Amery lineament, a large linear magnetic anomaly extending sublatitudinally for over 500 km. A comprehensive interpretation of magnetotelluric data and the anomalous magnetic field was accomplished. A resistivity section was constructed using a two-dimensional inversion, and a direct problem for the magnetic field was solved. As a result, a model is proposed for the structure of the Proterozoic suture zone, the rocks of which create a positive anomaly in the magnetic field. In the resistivity section, the anomalies with increased conductivity at depths below 10 km correspond to this structure. The obtained data create new opportunities for studying the deep structure and geodynamics of the East Antarctica.
Область исследования:
Geology
Keywords:
magnetotelluric sounding
Prydz Bay fold belt
two-dimensional inversion
East Antarctica
deep structure
high contact resistance
active electrodes with a preamplifier
Funding:
The research was conducted with a subsidy for the implementation of the State assignment in the sphere of scientific activity for 2024 (N FSRW-2024-0003).
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