ELECTRICAL METHOD

Resistance is the measured voltage divided by the current. This is Ohm's Law. Resistance will change if the measurement
geometry or volume of material changes. Therefore, it is NOT a physical property.

Resistivity is the resistance per unit volume. Consider current flowing through the unit cube of material : resistivity is
defined as the voltage measured across a unit cube's length (Volts per metre, or V/m) divided by the current flowing
through the unit cube's cross sectional area (Amps per meter squared, or A/m2).
This results in units of Ohm-m2/m or Ohm-m. The greek symbol rho, is often used to represent resistivity.

Conductivity, often represented using sigma, is the inverse of resistivity.

Conductivity is given in units of Siemens per metre, or S/m. Units of millisiemens per metre (mS/m) are often used for
small conductivity values; 1000mS/m = 1S/m. So 1mS/m = 1000 Ohm-m.
Exercise
Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT)
based on solving a Poisson Equation for the electrical potential and is characterized by a good sensitivity only in
the vicinity of the electrodes used to gather the data:
• It is a partial differential equation with broad utility in electrostatics

pseudo-section
A resistance can be determined using Ohm's law

This resistance can be recasted into an apparent resistivity accounting for:

• the geometry of the electrodes,
• the topography, and
• the insulating boundary condition at the air-ground interface
Finite Difference or Finite Element Methods
An Overview Of The Self-Potential
Method:

• The self-potential method was

proposed in 1830 by Robert Fox,
who conducted SP experiments
with mines in Cornwall, England.

• Two electrodes are placed in the

ground a couple meters apart,
with one electric wire running
from each electrode to the
instrument. When the user takes
a reading, the instrument reads
the voltage difference between
the two electrodes and stores the
value in its memory.
Electrochemical reaction, any process either caused or accompanied by the
passage of an electric current and involving in most cases the transfer of
electrons between two substances
• The electric field intensity E, current density J and specific resistance k are related:
Controlling factors of natural electrical potential:

1. Weathering of sulphide bodies

2. Lithological variations
3. Bioelectric activity
4. Corrosion of metal
The self-potential (SP) method has been extensively used to detect
groundwater and hydrothermal flows.

During the last decade, a variety of applications of the SP method have

been developed, such as detecting ground water and hydrothermal flows
at volcanic areas

Mapping infiltration in a karstic environment

Monitoring evolving plumes at subsoil and studying landslides

Recent experimental work has also been done to study the electrokinetic
and hydraulic parameters, which influence the SP anomaly
Jouniaux et al