Abstract
The electrical properties of inorganic sediments and their relationship to physical properties are generally well known. However, this knowledge is not available for organic materials such as peat. The induced polarization (IP) method allows the determination of electrical properties in the low frequency range (<1000 Hz). The purpose of our study is to develop an understanding of the electrical properties of organic sediments in order to determine the relationship between electrical properties and physical properties of peat. Electrical measurements on organic sediments from a large freshwater peatland show that peat has a very low formation factor and a high surface conductivity. In contrast to inorganic unconsolidated sediments, the surface conductivity of peat illustrates a strong dependence on fluid conductivity. We attribute these electrical characteristics to the high porosity of peat and high cation exchange capacity of organic matter. A field example illustrates the utility of IP for mapping organic deposits.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| State | Published - 2002 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 2002 Society of Exploration Geophysicists Annual Meeting, SEG 2002 - Salt Lake City, United States Duration: Oct 6 2002 → Oct 11 2002 |
Conference
| Conference | 2002 Society of Exploration Geophysicists Annual Meeting, SEG 2002 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Salt Lake City |
| Period | 10/6/02 → 10/11/02 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Geophysics