Thermoelectrical self-potential anomalies and their relationship to the solid angle subtended by the source region

Abstract

Abstract The calculation of self-potential (SP) anomalies produced by thermoelectric sources is shown to be equivalent to calculating the weighted solid angle subtended at the observation point by the source region and its images where the weighting function is the source intensity. This interpretation provides an easy way of visualizing the effect of different source geometries, and describes the nonuniqueness associated with SP sources. When conductivity contrasts become small or nonexistent, the number of image sources becomes finite or zero, respectively, further simplifying the calculation.--Modified journal abstract.