Shallow crustal sounding in the Superior Province by audio frequency magnetotellurics

Abstract

Audio frequency magnetotelluric soundings in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 10 kHz have been carried out over a section of the Superior Province of the Precambrian Shield in northwestern Ontario. Measurements were made in the English River sub-province, which is mainly a gneissic belt. Resistivity values over gneissic rocks and granitic intrusives were found to be generally very high. Resistivity values over greenstone belts were lower. In addition, there was a distinct conductive layering to the crust that was independent of the surface rock type.At the surface there is a thin conducting layer due to water in the surface soils and fractured rocks. Below a few tens of metres, the resistivity rises to values typically between several thousand and 100 000 ohm∙m. This is undoubtedly due to the presence of massive, unfractured rock with little water content. Beyond a depth of 7 km the resistivity drops sharply to values of 100–1000 ohm∙m. One explanation of this drop is the presence of small amounts of trapped pore-space fluids.