From Field to Modelling

In the field area the sensors have to be buried to protect them from the disturbance of wind and weather and are left overnight (for broadband systems) or a couple of weeks (for long period observations) to record variations in the EM-fields. Using computer algorithms the collected data is then transformed into models of electrical resistivity that can image depths of about 50km, often represented in slices (for 2-D) or volumes (in 3-D). These models help us understand which processes are responsible for what happens on the surface of the Earth, i.e. the volcanic and seismic activity in the valley as well as the rifting process itself. 

[MT profile]

Location of RiftVolc MT stations 2016 on a profile across the volcano Aluto. 

[MT station]

Installation of a long-period MT station in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Local guards have built a fence to protect the instruments from straying animals.