EMGS will in the fourth quarter of 2011 perform a multi-client 3D magnetotelluric (MT) survey covering approximately 3000 km2 in the Møre basin, Norwegian Sea. The project is pre-funded by a major international oil and gas company.
EMGS will rig EM Express (formerly the OHM Express) to undertake this work on a one-month charter.
Aslak Myklebostad, EMGS president multi-client eastern hemisphere , says: “ The Møre basin is an exciting frontier area with challenging basalt geology. We have been pioneering the use of MT methods for understanding basin-scale geology, particularly where basalt or salt make the interpretation of other geophysical data challenging. The key objective of this MT survey is to determine the thickness of basalt layers and whether there are sediments below.”
Processed data will be available in the first quarter of 2012 and 3D inverted data will be available in the second quarter of 2012.
About MT
Whereas 3D CSEM surveying uses a high-power EM source to create a subsurface signal, the MT method uses natural signals generated from the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetic field. Both EM methods use the same receivers. MT data is particularly useful in understanding complex salt and basalt areas.
[mappress] Subsea World News Staff , November 16, 2011; Image: EMGS