New advance in land controlled-source audio-frenquency magnetotellurics exploration: measurement at a shortened transmitter-receiver offset and three-dimensional inversion

Ambient noise significantly affects the quality of land controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT) data. Shortening the transmitter–receiver offset can enhance the raw data signal-to-noise ratios (S/N). However, most of CSAMT explorations still collect field data using a large separation. To enhance the S/N of the raw electric and magnetic field and the corresponding Cagniard apparent resistivity, we propose shortening offset to 2–4 km during CSAMT fieldwork and inverting apparent resistivity rather than only electric field. We tested this approach with three experimental models with varying offsets, simulating 3D responses. Result showed that longer offsets predominantly produce data anomalies in the far-field zone, whereas shorter offsets shift these anomalies toward the transition zone with some in the far-field or near-field zones. Shortened-offset responses exhibit stronger electric and magnetic fields. Synthetic datasets with different noise levels were generated for inversion analysis. The results indicate that shortening the offset, particularly in noisy environments, improves data S/N. Inversion results reveal that a shortened CSAMT transmitter–receiver offset allows for data collection with most anomalies in the transition-field zone, facilitating accurate prediction of the true model in the 3D inversion. In low-noise environments, inversion results from data with a shortened offset are comparable to those with a long offset. However, in high-noise environments, the shortened-offset approach yields more accurate results due to improved data S/N. Field data inversion from Yanqing, China, further confirms the effectiveness of our scheme. The shortened-offset approach achieves higher S/N datasets and inversion results that align with actual geological structures.