Geoelectromagnetic measurements across the southern Senegal basin (West Africa) |
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| Institution: | Orstom, BP 1386, Dakar Senegal |
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| Abstract: | Magnetotelluric and differential geomagnetic sounding surveys, consisting of nine soundings, were performed in 1984 along a 200-km profile across the southern Senegal basin. They were intended to obtain information concerning the resistivity structure of the crust and upper mantle and the distribution of the induced electric currents. Magnetotelluric data indicate that two-dimensional resistivity models are appropriate for the region. The zone above the basement is highly inhomogeneous in geoelectrical structure. Very conductive sediments (0.6-3 ohm m) appear in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Senegal basin. These sediments lie at depths of up to 4500 m on the west end of the profile. Below this, a modest resistivity material (10–30 ohm m) extends to a maximum depth of about 3000 m. The material at depth on the cast part of the traverse line is thought to be Palaeozoic sediments of the Bove basin. The depth of the magnetotelluric basement lies between about 250 m (in the east) and 4800 m (in the west). The crust is characterised by a drop in electrical resistivity at a depth of 15 km below the east part of the profile. Considering the total section, we observe a general trend towards lower resistivities at depths in excess of 100 km, the transition from 2000 ohm m to about 2 ohm m occurs in the depth range 100 to 175 km. An analysis of the geomagnetic variation field has identified a concentration of telluric current flow beneath the deep basin. It appears that the additional currents flowing in the striking direction of the Senegal basin are largely controlled by sedimentary rocks of high conductivity lying at depths less than 5 km. Model studies show that the local conductivity distribution is able to explain the currents circulating in the thick well-conducting sediments. |
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