Investigation of a Tertiary maar structure using three-dimensional resistivity imaging

This paper presents the application of the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method to the investigation of the Tertiary maar structure of Baruth (Germany) known from previous gravimetric surveys. ERT was applied to support the optimum location for a palaeoclimatological drill hole. Special modifications of data acquisition, signal processing and inversion are introduced to adapt the method of ERT to the special requirements for the 3-D investigation of structures with horizontal extensions of 1 km or more. More than 5000 dipole-dipole combinations were recorded at three concentric circular electrode arrangements using stand-alone transient data acquisition systems (RefTek). We present a fast approximate imaging technique based on the simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique (SIRT). As the complete calculation of the inverse Frechet matrix is avoided, the algorithm is especially suitable for large data and model spaces, where complete inversion is beyond the limits of available computing hardware. The single-step method is applicable to arbitrary irregular electrode layouts. Synthetic tests show that the imaging procedure reconstructs the main features of the subsurface. A low-resistivity body could be interpreted as limnic sediments filling the interior of the Tertiary maar crater. Considering the horizontal resistivity gradient, estimates for the lateral and depth extents of the structure were made. An optimum position for a palaeoclimatological borehole was found, and was in good agreement with the gravimetric minimum.