Field measurement of the electroseismic response

Abstract

Abstract The electroseismic response is a change in apparent resistivity induced by seismic excitation. It can be measured under field conditions with a conventional Wenner array and an explosive seismic source. In coastal plain sedimentary rocks near Gordon, Georgia, a Wenner array with 9-m electrode spacing measured a change in voltage of 100 to 300 mu v per mm/sec of 15 hz vertical particle velocity at the surface. The response correlates best with the Rayleigh surface waves and compressional body waves. By assuming a layered medium which is excited uniformly by a seismic disturbance, we can use a Taylor series expansion of the voltage expression for a Wenner array in terms of layer resistivities to obtain estimates of the perturbations of the resistivities in the layers.