Introduction
Transfer functions are used in magnetotellurics and geomagnetic depth sounding to determine subsurface electrical conductivity from surface measurements of natural electric and magnetic fields (Simpson and Bahr, 2005). A transfer function describes the mathematical relationship between surface measurements of variations of electric and magnetic fields.
Magnetotelluric transfer functions
Magnetotellurics uses natural electromagnetic field variations to image subsurface electrical resistivity structure through electromagnetic induction. The surface electric and magnetic fields at each frequency are related through
where Z is defined as the magnetotelluric impedance, a transfer function. The components E x and E y are orthogonal components of the electric field and H x and H y are orthogonal components of the magnetic field. These electromagnetic fields are nonstationary and the transfer functions are computed as the average of many measurements. Robust statistical methods...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Egbert, G.D., 1997. Robust multiple‐station magnetotelluric data processing. Geophysical Journal International, 130: 475–496.
Gamble, T.B., Goubau, W.M., and Clarke, J., 1979. Magnetotellurics with a remote reference. Geophysics, 44: 53–68.
Gough, D.I., 1989. Magnetometer array studies, earth structure and tectonic processes. Reviews of Geophysics, 27: 141–157.
Jones, A.G., Chave, A.D., Egbert, G.D., Auld, D., and Bahr, K., 1989. A comparison of techniques for magnetotelluric response function estimates. Journal of Geophysical Research, 94: 14201–14213.
Larsen, J.C., Mackie, R.L., Manzella, A., Fiordelisi, A., and Rieven, S., 1996. Robust smooth magnetotelluric transfer functions. Geophysical Journal International, 124: 801–819.
Lilley, F.E.M., and Arora, B.R., 1982. The sign convention for quadrature Parkinson arrows in geomagnetic induction studies. Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics, 20: 513–518.
Parkinson, W.D., 1962. The influence of continents and oceans on geomagnetic variations. Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 6: 441.
Schmucker, U., 1970. Anomalies of Geomagnetic Variations in the Southwestern United States. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Simpson, F., and Bahr, K., 2005. Practical Magnetotellurics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 270.
Wiese, H., 1962. Geomagnetische Tiefentellurik Teil II: Die Streichrichtung der Untergrundstrukturen des elektrischen Widerstandes, erschlossen aus geomagnetischen Variationen [Strike direction of underground structures of electric resistivity, inferred from geomagnetic variations.]. Pure and applied geophysics, 52: 83–103.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer-Verlag
About this entry
Cite this entry
Unsworth, M. (2007). Transfer Functions. In: Gubbins, D., Herrero-Bervera, E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4423-6_306
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4423-6_306
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-3992-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4423-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences