1887
Volume 53, Issue 3
  • E-ISSN: 1365-2478

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Scalar radiomagnetotelluric measurements were carried out on a contaminated test area close to the Brazi Refinery in Romania in order to detect and to monitor a 1 m thick oil layer expected at 5 m depth. Radio transmitters broadcasting in a frequency range from 10 kHz to 300 kHz were selected to observe the apparent resistivity and the phase data associated with the E‐ and B‐polarizations. They were located parallel and perpendicular to the assumed strike direction of the contamination plume. The data were interpreted by a 2D inversion technique from which the conductivity structure of the area was derived. The 2D inversion models of all profiles on the contaminated area show a poor‐conductivity zone above the groundwater table which could be associated with the oil contamination.

A first attempt was also made to monitor the contaminated layer: the radiomagnetotelluric measurements were repeated on the same profiles a year later, but this time in a dry period, not in a rainy one. The 2D inversion results of the measurements in the dry period indicate that the high‐resistivity layer moved closer to the surface. Additional reference measurements were then carried out on a non‐contaminated area situated at a distance from the refinery, in the opposite direction to the flow of the groundwater. These reference measurements were used for the derivation of the unperturbed geology and they were also compared with the measurements of the contaminated test area. There is a significant difference in the frequency dependences of the apparent resistivities of the reference and contaminated areas, which could indicate a contamination at shallow depth. The 2D inversion results show the increase of resistivity at a depth of about 5 m beneath the contaminated area where the oil contamination is expected according to the information from the boreholes.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1111/j.1365-2478.2005.00475.x
2005-04-14
2024-03-28
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. BaileyN.J.L., KrouseK.R., EvansC.R. and RogersM.A.1973. Alteration of crude oil by waters and bacteria – evidence from geochemical and isotope studies. AAPG Bulletin57, 1276–1290.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. BaumA.1998. Radiomagnetotellurische (RMT‐) und Georadar‐Messungen zur Erkundung der Reste einer durch Luftbild im Untergrund vermuteten römischen villa rustica im Worringer Bruch bei Köln. Diplomarbeit, Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, Universität zu Köln .
    [Google Scholar]
  3. BuselliG., BarberC., DavisG.B. and SalamaR.B.1990. Detection of groundwater contamination near waste disposal sites with transient electromagnetic and electrical methods. Geophysical and Environmental Geophysics20, 27–39.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. CagniardL.1953. Basic theory of the magnetotelluric method of geophysical prospecting. Geophysics18, 605–645.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. DupisA. and ChoquierA.1996. How electrostatic was introduced in subsurface geophysics. Proceedings of the EEGS , Nantes , Extended Abstracts, pp. 125–128.
  6. EndresA.L. and RedmanJ.D.1996. Modeling the electrical properties of porous rocks and soils containing immiscible contaminants. Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics0, 105–112.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. KaufmannA.A. and KellerG.1981. The Magnetotelluric Sounding Method . Methods in Geochemistry and Geophysics 15 . Elsevier Science Publishing Co.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. KemnaA., RakersE. and BinleyA.1997. Application of complex resistivity tomography field data from kerosene‐contaminated site. Proceedings of the EEGS , Aarhus , Extended Abstracts, pp. 151–154.
  9. MackieR., RievenS. and RodiW.1997. Users Manual and Software Documentation for Two Dimensional Inversion of Magnetotellurics Data . Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University .
    [Google Scholar]
  10. ManescuM., BicaI. and StanI.1994. La pollution d'eau souterraines avec des produits petrolies dans la zone Ploisti. Proceedings of the International Hydrogeological Symposium, Impact of Industrial Activities on Groundwater , Constantza , Romania , pp. 356–368.
  11. MazácO., BenesL., LandaI. and MaskovaA.1990. Determination of the extent of oil contamination in groundwater by geoelectrical methods. In: Geotechnical and Environmental Geophysics II (ed. S.H.Ward ), pp. 107–112. Society of Exploration Geophysicists , Tulsa , OK .
    [Google Scholar]
  12. ModinI.N., ShevninV.A., BobatchevA.A., BolshakovD.K., LeonovD.A. and VladovM.L.1997. Investigations of oil pollution with electrical prospecting methods. Proceedings of the EEGS , Aarhus , Extended Abstracts, pp. 267–270.
  13. Monier‐WilliamsM.1995. Properties of light non aqueous phase liquids and detection using commonly applied shallow sensing geophysical techniques. In: Proceedings of the Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP 1992) , Oakbrook (ed. R.S.Bell ), pp. 587–595. EEGS.
  14. MüllerI.1983. Anisotropic properties of rocks detected with electromagnetic VLF (Very low frequency). International Symposium on Field Measurements in Geomechanics , Zürich , Special Publication, pp. 273–282.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. OlhoeftG.R.1985. Low frequency electrical properties. Geophysics50, 2492–2503.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. OlhoeftG.R.1986. Direct detection of hydrocarbon and organic chemicals with ground penetrating radar and complex resistivity. Proceedings of the National Water Well Association Conference on Petroleum Hydrocarbon and Organic Chemicals in Ground Water , Houston , pp. 284–305.
  17. OlhoeftG.R.1992. Geophysical detection of hydrocarbon and organic chemicals. Proceedings of the Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (ed. R.S.Bell ), pp. 587–596. EEGS.
  18. PalackyG.J.1988. Resistivity characteristics of geologic targets. Electromagnetic Methods in Applied Geophysics , Vol. 1, pp. 106–121. Society of Exploration Geophysicists , Tulsa , OK .
    [Google Scholar]
  19. RecherS., TezkanB. and HördtA.1998. Detection of hydrocarbon contaminated soil with radiomagnetotellurics. Proceedings of the EEGS , Barcelona , Extended Abstracts, pp. 57–61.
  20. SauckW.A.2000. A model for the resistivity structure of LNAPL plumes and their environs in sandy sediments. Journal of Applied Geophysics44, 151–165.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. SauckW.A., AtekwanaE.A. and NashM.S.1998. High conductivities associated with an LNAPL plume imaged by integrated geophysical techniques. Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics2, 203–212.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. SchiffbauerK.2001. Hohlraumortung im Karst mit Radiomagnetotellurik und Georadar am Beispiel der Wilhelmshöhle im Sauerland . Diplomarbeit , Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, Universität zu Köln .
    [Google Scholar]
  23. SchneiderG.W., De RyckS.M. and FerreP.A.1993. The application of automated high resolution DC resistivity in monitoring hydrogeological field experiments. In: Proceedings of the Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP 1993) , San Diego (eds R.S.Bell and C.M.Lepper ), pp. 145–162.
  24. SchwinnW. and TezkanB.1997. 1D joint inversion of radiomagnetotelluric (RMT) and transient electromagnetic (TEM) data; an application for groundwater prospection in Denmark. Proceedings of the EEGS , Aarhus , Extended Abstracts, pp. 221–224.
  25. TezkanB.1999. A review of environmental applications of quasi‐stationary electromagnetic techniques. Surveys in Geophysics20, 279–308.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. TezkanB., GoldmanM., GreinwaldS., HördtA., MüllerI., NeubauerF.M. and ZacherG.1996. A joint application of radiomagnetotellurics and transient electromagnetics to the investigation of a waste deposit in Cologne (Germany). Journal of Applied Geophysics34, 199–212.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. TurbergP., MüllerI. and FluryF.1994. Hydrogeological investigation of porous environments by radiomagnetotelluric‐resistivity (RMT‐R, 12–240 kHz). Journal of Applied Geophysics31, 133–143.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. VanhalaH.1997. Mapping oil‐contaminated sand and till with the spectral induced polarization (SIP) method. Geophysical Prospecting45, 303–326.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. ZacherG., TezkanB., NeubauerF.M. and ZilkensJ.1996. Radiomagnetotellurics: a powerful tool for waste‐site exploration. European Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics1, 139–159.
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1111/j.1365-2478.2005.00475.x
Loading
/content/journals/10.1111/j.1365-2478.2005.00475.x
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article

Most Cited This Month Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error