Multiple body parametric inversion of frequency- and time-domain airborne electromagnetics

Abstract

We developed a parametric level-set approach to invert frequency- and time-domain airborne electromagnetic data with multiple anomalies and resistivities. The shape of each anomaly is a skewed Gaussian ellipsoid which can move, rotate and stretch in any direction until its optimal position is found. We first tested the algorithm on synthetic data sets created over an earth model with multiple thin, steeply dipping conductors in a resistive background. This setting was designed to simulate a banded-iron exploration environment. The depth extent and dip of the recovered anomalies in the parametric inversions matched closely with the true synthetic model, and the results were considered an improvement over conventional voxel-based inversions. Subsequently, the approach was tested on field data sets collected over the West Plains banded-iron gold exploration area in Nunavut, Canada. This provided new interpretations regarding the spatial location, depth and dip of the linear conductors in the area. Presentation Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2016 Start Time: 1:00:00 PM Location: 174 Presentation Type: ORAL