The present study was designed to give a clear and comprehensive understanding of the structural situation in the Sohag region and surrounding area by applying several edge detectors to aeromagnetic data. In this research, the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) values were removed from the aeromagnetic data and the data obtained were then reduced to the north magnetic pole (RTP). A combination of different edge detectors was applied to determine the boundaries of the magnetic sources. A good correlation was noticed between these techniques, indicating that their integration can contribute to delineating the structural framework of the area. Consequently, a detailed structural map based on the results was constructed. Generally, E-W, N45-60E, and N15-30W directions represent the main tectonic trends in the survey area. The structural map shows the existence of two main basins constituting the most probable places for hydrocarbon accumulation. The results of this study provide structural information that can constitute an invaluable contribution to the gas and oil exploration process in this promising area. They show also that the decision in choosing the location of the drilled boreholes (Balyana-1 and Gerga) was incorrect, as they were drilled in localities within an area of a thin sedimentary cover.

Water-covered areas may lead to gaps in surface electromagnetic surveys, causing reduced resolution and, as a consequence, increased uncertainty in derived subsurface models. We have evaluated a boat-towed floating central loop time-domain electromagnetic technique that mitigates this problem. It facilitates obtaining data with a spatial sampling density, which is rarely possible with standard instrumentation on land, and it only requires moderate logistical effort. A unique field study on a shallow volcanic lake demonstrated that this method is feasible with only a minor loss of accuracy when compared to anchored and land soundings. We found that the noise sources arising from the moving instrument and the boat engine can be neglected. The field survey was performed on the Lagoa das Furnas (São Miguel, Azores Islands, Portugal), which is located within an active volcanic area and is characterized by fumarolic fields and CO2 degassing. Thus, the associated hydrothermal system is expected to extend below the lake. However, the character, geometry, and extent of this system are unknown because of the lack of boreholes and geophysical studies. In total, 600 soundings, combining towed profiles with anchored and land-based soundings, were acquired with an aim of imaging the hydrothermal system beneath the lake down to 200 m. The results from all three types of measurements compare well and thus led to consistent 1D inversion models. The inversion results delineate a highly conductive, smectite-rich cap layer dipping below the lake away from the main fumarole zone. Near this zone, the extent of the conductor agrees well with an area of intense dispersed CO2 degassing, which appears to be controlled by at least two electrically distinctive fault zones in which the conductor is found at greater depths.

The marine differential electric dipole (DED) is applied for the first time to study a subseafloor groundwater body in the coastal region of Bat Yam, Israel. Previous marine long-offset transient electromagnetic applications detected this freshwater body underneath the Mediterranean seafloor. We have applied the novel DED method for the first time in the marine environment to further investigate this natural phenomenon. The main objectives are to locate the freshwater-seawater interface at the western aquifer edge and to identify the mechanism controlling this freshwater occurrence beneath the seafloor. The acquired step-on signals allow one to detect the freshwater body in the vicinity of the Israeli coastline at a depth of approximately 70 m beneath the seafloor. However, aquifer thickness is only poorly determined and may vary between 40 and 100 m. A lateral resistivity contrast is observable between adjacent 1D inversion models and also apparent in data profile curves that constrain the seaward extent of the detected resistive body to a distance of less than 4 km from the coastline. A subsequent 2.5D forward-modeling study aims to find a subseafloor resistivity distribution that adequately explains all measured DED data simultaneously. The results further constrain the lateral extent of the resistive aquifer to approximately 3.6–3.7 km from the Israeli coast. Furthermore, the data indicate that the aquifer system may be susceptible to seawater intrusion, as a superior data fit is achieved if a brackish water zone of approximately [ ] with a lateral extent of less than 300 m is located at the head of the freshwater body.