SELF POTENTIAL

EARTHS NATURAL ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY

SUDESHNA BISOYI
4/5/2013
Department of Geology
LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FIGURE 1: Current flow and natural self potential filed developed around a Sulphide ore body
FIGURE 2: The membrane or shale potential
FIGURE 3: Schematic of flow induced negative streaming potential (Erchul and Slifer, 1989)
FIGURE 4: Measurement of electrical current spontaneously generated by a Sulphide ore body
TOPIC Page No
Title page
1 Introduction 2
2 Self Potential and how it is produced 3
3 Physical properties and measured parameters 4
4 Field deployment 5
5 Measurement Tools of SP Method 6
6 Data acquisition 9
7 Data interpretation 11
8 Applications of SP method 11
9 Summary 13
10 References 15
SELF POTENTIAL / SPONTANEOUS POTENTIAL METHOD
ABSTRACT
All geophysical techniques are based on the detection of contrasts in different physical properties
of materials. If contrasts do not exist, geophysical methods will not work. Most Self Potential
surveys use a qualitative evaluation of the profile amplitudes or grid contours to evaluate self-
and streaming-potential anomalies. Contrasts in the magnitude of the naturally existing(ambient
or passive) electric current within the earth can be detected by self-potential (SP) surveys.
Spontaneous electrical potentials occur in nature where e.g. electrolytes with different
concentrations are in galvanic contact with each other. The electric potential due to capillary
liquid flow through the ground is called streaming potential. A change in streaming potential can
be due to changes in porosity, saturation, salinity, pH or permeability. SP method is very
effective in sulphide ore bodies. Sulfide ore bodies oxidize when exposed to oxygen (e.g., when
the water table drops and exposes previously saturated rocks to air). The resulting chemical
reaction (sulfide to sulfate) makes the ore body act much like a large battery. Mapping SP has
outlined some ore deposits. Self Potential is measured in milli volts (mV). Massive Sulphide Ore
bodies may produce SP anomalies of several hundred mVs. The main uses of SP logs are in the
detection of permeable beds, the determination of R
w
, the indication of the shaliness of a
formation and the stratigraphic correlation of beds and metalliferous bodies. However Self
Potential method, like any geophysical method is only shows the anomalies which should be
supplemented in the field by field observations, mapping of rock types and borehole drilling
data.
Introduction:
Geophysics is the study of the subsurface structure of the earth by using quantitative physical
methods (Smith, 2013). Exploration geophysics is a branch of Geophysics which measures the
physical properties such as seismic, gravitational, magnetic, electrical and electromagnetic of
rocks, and in particular, to detect the measurable physical differences between rocks that contain
ore deposits or hydrocarbons and those without. It can be used to directly detect the target style
of mineralization, via measuring its physical properties directly. For example one may measure
the density contrasts between iron ore and silicate wall rocks, or may measure the electrical
conductivity contrast between conductive sulfide minerals and barren silicate minerals. In the
20th century, geophysical methods were developed for remote exploration of the solid Earth and
the ocean, and geophysics played an essential role in the development of the theory of plate
tectonics.
Geophysical methods can be divided into two general types: Active, which measure the
subsurface response to electromagnetic, electrical, and seismic energy; and passive, which
measure the earths ambient magnetic, electrical and gravitational fields. Geophysical methods
can be further subdivided into either surface or borehole methods. Surface methods are usually
non- intrusive and are used to collect subsurface data. Whereas, borehole methods require that
wells or borings be drilled so that in situ conditions of the subsurface can be measured (Ariail,
1997). All geophysical techniques are based on the detection of contrasts in different physical
properties of materials. If contrasts do not exist, geophysical methods will not work. Electrical
methods measure the contrasts in electrical resistivity. Seismic methods depend on contrast
compression or shear wave velocities of different materials. Gravity method uses reflection and
refraction contrasts in the densities of different materials. Contrasts in magnetic susceptibilities
of materials permit magnetic surveying to be used in some investigations. Self potential method
is one of the Electrical geophysical methods which measure the contrasts in the magnitude of the
naturally existing electric current within the earth (Hoover et al., 1992). Self potential method
provides quickest field procedure in finding sulphide mineralization. This paper discusses
various aspects of the Self Potential method such as the physical properties, physical principle,
instrumentation, Data acquisition, Data interpretation, and applications.
What is Self Potential and how it is produced on the ground?
pontaneous potential (SP), also called self potential, is a naturally occurring electric
potential difference in the Earth. Spontaneous potentials can be produced by mineralization
differences, electro-chemical action, geothermal activity, and bioelectric generation of
vegetation. Four different electrical potentials are recognized. Electro-kinetic or streaming,
potential is due to the flow of a fluid with certain electrical properties passing through a pipe or
porous medium with different electrical properties (figure 1). Liquid-junction, or diffusion,
S
potential is caused by the displacement of ionic solutions of dissimilar
concentrations. Mineralization or electrolytic contact potential is produced at the surface of a
conductor with another medium. The origin of SP across rock formations can be attributed to two
processes involving the movement of ions
Figure 1: Current flow and natural self potential field developed around a sulfide ore body
( FromDobrin, 1976 ).
Physical Properties involving Self Potential Methods:
he Self Potential method is heavily based on two properties of the Earth materials;
Chargeability and Polarizability. Chargeability is the ability of the Earth (Soil and Rock) to
store charge and Polarizability is the flow of charge due to separation of charges. It occurs when
currents are due to movement of ions and electrons. Self Potential or Spontaneous Potential
method is a passive geophysical method which measures a field- the naturally occurring potential
or current in the field. It measures electrical conductivity in the ground. It is called passive
because no external force was induced on the earth for measuring the contrast.
Measured Parameter:
SP method measures Electrical Potentials. Spontaneous potentials (SP) are usually caused by
charge separation in clay or other minerals, due to presence of semi-permeable interface
impeding the diffusion of ions through the pore space of rocks, or by natural flow of a
conducting fluid through the rocks.
Measuring Units:
Self Potential is measured in milli volts (mV). Massive Sulphide Ore bodies may produce SP
anomalies of several hundred mVs.
Suitable conditions for deploying SP method:
SP is a passive and naturally occurring feeble currents produced in ground due to ionic
exchanges or movement of electrons. Ore acts as a passive conductor, focusing currents
associated with Oxidation-Reduction reactions at the water table. Therefore ore bodies must cut
across or straddle the water table to produce SP for measurement. SP is strong in porous rock, oil
and clay contents, metallic deposits or objects and in non- magnetic deposits. The suitable
deposits are VMS, MVT Pb-Zn, Porphyry Copper and Magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE deposits.
T
FIELD DEPLOYMENT OF SP METHOD:
ackground potentials for these surveys may be at a level of a few tens of
millivolts. Source self-potentials must exceed the background to be apparent. Potentials
exceeding 1.0 V have occurred for shallow or downhole measurements of large sources. When
large potentials are expected or have been found at the site with non-polarizing electrodes, the
easier to use copper-clad steel electrodes have been substituted for porous pots, but steel
electrodes are not recommended. Contact potentials of the steel electrodes and reversing
electrode positions are required systematically for steel electrodes. Large errors may develop
from the use of steel electrodes (Corwin 1989).
Figure 2: The membrane potential (sometimes called the shale potential)
(Sen, 1991; Naudet et al., 2003, 2004; Revil and Leroy, 2005)
B
The membrane potential exists at the junction between the non- invaded zone and the shale (or
other impermeable rock) sandwiching the permeable bed. These beds are usually shale, and the
argument that follows applies mainly to shales, but is also valid to a less extent for other low
permeability rocks. Shales have the property that they can preferentially retard the passage of
anions. This is called anionic perm selectivity or electronegative perm selectivity and is a
property of membranes. It is due to an electrical double layer that exists at the rock-fluid
interface, and that has the ability to exclude anions from the smaller pores in the rock
(sometimes called anion exclusion). The strength of this effect depends upon the shale
mineralogy, the fluid concentration and the fluid pH. Most other rocks exhibit the same
behaviour but to a lower degree for geologically feasible fluid concentrations and pH but
cationic perm-selectivity is possible, if rare. Most subsurface shales are such efficient anionic
perm selecting membranes that they repel almost all anions (say, chloride ions). This results in
the shale being more positive than the non- invaded zone, and hence there is an electrical
membrane potential, which causes current to flow from the invaded zone into the shale (and
hence borehole).
SP Measurement Tools:
P measurement requires very simple instruments which can be carried to the field for
recording measurements. The instruments are:
1. A pair of non-polarizing electrodes.
2. A high impedance Voltmeter
3. Some Cables
The Electrodes:
Electrodes in contact with the ground surface should be the non polarizing type, also called
porous pots (Figure 2). Porous pots are metal electrodes suspended in a supersaturated solution
of their own salts (such as a copper electrode suspended in copper sulfate) within a porous
container. These pots produce very low electrolytic contact potential, such that the background
voltage is as small as possible. Tinker and Razor manufacture models of porcelain no polarizing
electrodes that are reliable and sealed to avoid evaporation of the salt solution. Sealed pots can
keep their supersaturated solutions for more than a week, even in arid locales. Refilling the pot
S
with solution must occur before a day's work due to the possible contact potential change while
performing a measurement set. A useful procedure is to mix remaining fluids from pots in a
single container, add new solution to the mixture in the pot, and use the mixed solution to fill the
pots. Then all pots contain the same solution mix.
Millivolts Meter:
An inexpensive, high-input-impedance voltmeter is used to read the potential in the millivolts
range. Actual field voltage will be in error when the source potential is within an order of
magnitude of the input impedance of the meter. The meter uses a bias current to measure the
desired potential. The input impedance should exceed 50 M. Higher input impedances are
desirable due to the impedance reduction of air's moisture. The resolution of the meter should be
0.1 or 1.0 mV. Several useful options on meters are available. Digital voltmeters are more easily
read. Water-resistant or sealed meters are extremely beneficial in field use. Notch filters about
60 Hz will reduce stray alternating current (AC) potentials in industrial areas or near power
lines.
Survey Wire (Cables):
The wire used in SP surveys must be strong, hardy, and of low resistance. Wire needs to have
sufficient tensile strength to be able to withstand long-term pulls of survey work for multiple
sites. For some field use, heavy twine or light rope may need to be twisted and knotted to long
lengths of wire to add strength. Survey wire must have abrasion-resistant insulator
wrapping. Pulling the wire over roadway surfaces can expose bare wire. Usually random bare
wire positions will not fully ground to the soil, and the effects will be variable as differing
lengths of wire are unreeled and occupy differing positions for the survey. This error will only
modify the signal by a few to tens of millivolts (mV). Twisted two-conductor, 18-gauge, and
multistrand (not solid conductor) copper wire has been found to be strong and abrasion resistant.
A small 1.5 V battery is also included commonly to ensure that the overall signal is measured on
the correct scale. The simplicity of the log means that it is extremely cheap, and therefore gives
tremendous value for money.
Data Acquisition:
elf-potential field surveys are conducted by measuring electrical potential differences
between pairs of electrodes that contact the surface of the earth (or water, in water-covered
areas) at a number of survey stations in the area of interest. These stations may be along profiles
or spaced so as to obtain a real coverage. One station is selected as a base station and all
potentials are referenced to that point. The base station should be located at a point removed
from expected anomalous activity. Potential (voltage) measurements are made by contacting the
earth with non-polarizing electrodes. These electrodes, often called "porous pots," are designed
so as not to create any spurious chemical potential upon contact with the ground. Measurements
are made by connecting a high impedance voltmeter between two electrodes, usually the base
station and a roving electrode.
Only relative changes in potential are measured because the absolute value of the SP is
meaningless. Changes of the order of 50 mV are typical. For the log to be good, a good earth is
necessary, in which often a metal spike is driven 1 meter into the ground. Spontaneous potential
can be measured by placing one probe of a voltmeter at the Earth's surface (called surface
electrode) and the other probe in the borehole (called downhole electrode), where the SP is to be
measured. In fact, logging tools employ exactly this method. Since this measurement is relatively
simple, usually SP downhole electrode is built into other logging tools.
Since spontaneous potential is a measure of electrochemical potential and the ionic activity of a
solution is inversely proportional to its resistivity.
The SP tool is one of the simplest tools and is generally run as standard when logging a hole,
along with the gamma ray. SP data can be used to find:
Where the permeable formations are
The boundaries of these formations
Correlation of formations when compared with data from other analogue wells
Values for the formation-water resistivity
S
Figure 3: Schematic of flow-induced negative streaming potentials
(Erchul and Slifer, 1989)
Figure 4: Measurement of electrical current spontaneously generated by a Sulphide ore body
(Fournier, 1989; Birch, 1993)
Data Interpretation:
ost SP investigations use a qualitative evaluation of the profile amplitudes or grid
contours to evaluate self- and streaming-potential anomalies. Flow sources produce
potentials in the direction of flow. Fluid inflow produces negative relative potentials, as would
greater distance from the flow tube; outflow of the fluid results in positive
potentials. Quantitative interpretations for a dam embankment with possible under seepage
would be determined from the profiles across the crest. Negative anomalies may be indicative of
flow from the reservoir at some depth. The width of the half-amplitude provides a depth
estimate. Outflow at the toe of an embankment or at shallow depths beneath the toe would
produce positive, narrow anomalies. Mineral or cultural utilities produce varying surface
potentials depending on the source. Semi quantitative, forward solutions may be estimated by
equations or programs (Corwin, 1989; Wilt and Butler, 1990) for sphere, line, and plate potential
configurations. These solutions of potential configurations aid in evaluation of the corrected
field readings, but are solutions of the data set taken.
Applications of Self Potential Method:
SP can be measured on the ground, near surface or in borehole intersections. It is highly effective
in Magmatic Ni-Cu- PGE deposits and moderately effective in Volcanogenic Massive Sulphides
(VMS), Mississippi Valley Type PB-Zn deposits, Porphyry Copper-Gold deposits. SP method is
also used in oil and gas exploration but only in low noise land environment; it may not be
effective in Seas or Oceans because SP is very feeble and immeasurable there.
Mineral Recognition
Though not as good as some other logs, the SP log does react unusually to a few minerals
and formations, and is therefore sometimes useful in mineral recognition. The most common
occurrences are as follows, but are not reliable:
Coals Large negative kick (or none at all)
Pyrite Very large negative kick
Rhyolite Large negative kick
M
Black shale Positive kick.
SP methods can be very useful for karst groundwater regimes in quick surveys of a site or in
long-term surveys during a rainy season. Sinkholes can be pathways of surface water flow. The
subsurface flow in karst can be erratic. There can be a qualitative evaluation of the flow volume
in different subsurface routes if the ground surface may be assumed parallel to the surface
through the irregular flow paths.
Applications in Boreholes:
The most useful SP component is the electrochemical potential, since it can cause a significant
deflection opposite permeable beds. The magnitude of the deflection depends mainly on the
salinity contrast between borehole and formation fluid, and the clay content of the permeable
bed. The SP log is therefore useful in detecting permeable beds and to estimate formation water
salinity and formation clay content. Due to the nature of the electric current, SP can only be
recorded in conductive mud.
Other applications on the surface
Electrodes can be placed on the ground surface to map relative changes in the SP value
(in millivolts, or mV), typically with the goal of identifying the path of groundwater flow in the
subsurface, or seepage from an earthen dam. A voltmeter measures the voltage between a fixed
liquid-junction electrode and a mobile one (rover), which is moved along a dam face or over an
area of investigation to collect multiple readings. Anomalies observed may indicate groundwater
movement or seepage.
Uses of the Spontaneous Potential Log. The main uses of this log are:
The detection of permeable beds.
The determination of R
w
.
The indication of the shaliness of a formation.
Correlation.
The detection of Permeable Beds
The SP log is an extremely useful quick- look indicator of bed permeability. It is not
quantitative, and opinions differ to the extent to which one can associate the size of the
deflection with the degree of permeability. Given the large number of other parameters that
might affect the SP log, I prefer to say that one should not associate very large permeability
necessarily with large deflections and vice versa. However, the SP log is quite sensitive, and
even a small deflection in the SP log indicates that the bed has reasonable permeability. It
should be noted that some permeable beds might give no deflection, such as those where there
is no difference in salinity between the formation fluids and the mud fi lt rat e.
Correlation and Facies
The SP log is sometimes a useful additional log to use in correlation, but is rarely used alone. If
used, the wells should be close together and drilled with the same mud, and the salinities in the
formations should be constant between wells.
The SP log can be used to follow facies changes. However, it has been largely replaced by the
GR log, which has a higher resolution and is more reliable.
Summary
The self-potential method consists in the passive measurement of the distribution of the electrical
potential at the ground surface of the Earth and in boreholes. The purpose of this method is to
map the electrical potential to reveal one or several polarization mechanisms at play in the
ground. In some cases, the self-potential signals are monitored with a network of non-polarisable
electrodes, which provides both a better signal-to-noise ratio and the possibility to discriminate
between various sources. The two main contributions to the self-potential signals are (1) the
streaming potential or hydroelectric coupling (Fournier, 1989; Birch, 1993, 1998; Aubert and
Yn Atangana, 1996; Revil and Leroy, 2001) and (2) electro-chemical processes (membrane or
diffusion potentials) associated with gradients of the chemical potentials of ionic species in the
pore water (e.g., Sen, 1991; Naudet et al., 2003, 2004; Revil and Leroy, 2005).
SP measurement requires very simple instruments which can be carried to the field by a single
person for recording measurements. The instruments are a pair of non-polarizing electrodes, a
high impedance Voltmeter and some Cables. SP method is good for low potential type land
environment, so not very effective in Oceans (Oil/Gas exploration).A shortcoming of the SP
method is the frequency and variety of spurious responses obtained. A more popular application
of the electrical method is where controlled electrical energy is applied to the earth and the
resulting electrical behavior of the ground is observed at closely spaced stations at regular
intervals over the surface. The SP method often produces misleading results and use of the
method has declined recently. Self potential method like any other geophysical method is not the
ultimate source of locating mineral bodies. This method is an associated tool to be used with
field mapping, sampling and bore hole drilling.
References:
1. http://www.agoenvironmental.com/Burr_Article.pdf
2. http://www.epa.gov/esd/cmb/GeophysicsWebsite/pages/reference/methods/Surface_Geop
hysical_Methods/Electrical_Methods/Self-Potential_(SP)_Method.htm
3. http://www.1800geophysics.com/GeoMethods/M10.html
4. http://www.eos.ubc.ca/~msheffer/MRS_MASc.pdf
5. Wightman, W. E; Jalinoo; Sirles and Hanna, K (2003). "Applicat ion of
Geophysical Met hods to Highway Relat ed Problems." Federal highway
administrat ion of Central Federal Lands Highway Division, Lakewood, CO.
Publicat ion No. FHWA- IF-04- 021, September 2003.
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