Mapping ice-bonded permafrost with electrical methods in Sisimiut, West Greenland

Permafrost delineation and thickness determination is of great importance in engineering related projects in arctic areas. In this paper, 2D geoelectrical measurements are applied and evaluated for permafrost mapping in an area in West Greenland. Multi-electrode resistivity profiles (MEP) have been...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ingeman-Nielsen, Thomas
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: EAGE Publications BV 2006
Subjects:
Ice
Online Access:https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/490f94c6-2e6c-4b8e-acce-5780f3613233
Description
Summary:Permafrost delineation and thickness determination is of great importance in engineering related projects in arctic areas. In this paper, 2D geoelectrical measurements are applied and evaluated for permafrost mapping in an area in West Greenland. Multi-electrode resistivity profiles (MEP) have been collected and are compared with borehole information. It is shown that the permafrost thickness in this case is grossly overestimated by a factor of two to three. The difference between the inverted 2D resistivity sections and the borehole information is explained by macro-anisotropy due to the presence of horizontal ice-lenses in the frozen clay deposits. It is concluded that where the resistivity method perform well for lateral permafrost mapping, great care should be taken in evaluating permafrost thickness based on 2D resistivity profiles alone. Additional information from boreholes or other geophysical techniques is needed for correct interpretation.