The Induced Polarization (IP)

Method
Prepared by Selvi Misnia I
 Induced Polarisation
“equivalent circuits”

• DC Resistivity • Induced Polarisation

- + - +
I I

completely described +
by Ohm’s law - C

𝑼 resistance R “capacitance ”
𝑹 =
𝑰 (charge / voltage)
 Induced Polarisation

Three main causes

1) Electrochemical processes at the interface
of metallic minerals / pore fluid:
 presence of ore deposits.
2) Exchange reactions in clay and shaly sands:
 hydrogeological applications.
3) Reactions involving organic materials:
 hydrocarbon exploration.
IP - Main Applications:
 disseminated metallic ores
⁻ porphyry coppers,
⁻ bedded lead/zinc
⁻ sulphide-related gold deposits
 environmental related studies
 geothermal exploration

Veeken et al., 2009 ; Reynolds, 2011

 Induced Polarisation

• The earliest observation (~1913) of the induced polarization phenomenon

associated with sulphide mineralization is attributed to Conrad
Schlumberger who observed that if he passed a DC current through rocks
containing metallic sulphides and interrupted the current abruptly, the
resultant voltages in the Earth decayed slowly rather than instantly.

• Today IP is the primary tool used to explore for several important types of
mineral deposits—especially porphyry coppers, bedded lead/zinc and
sulphide-related gold deposits.

• IP is unique among the controlled-source geophysical methods employed in

mineral exploration in that it is based on an interface electrochemical
phenomenon, rather than on a purely physical property of rocks or minerals.

Seigel et al, 2007

Induced Polarisation

Principally with the same equipment as Resistivity Measurements:

C1 P1 P2 C2
Induced Polarisation

• DC resistivity
→direct electrical connection (electrodes)
→ flow of current
→ electrical potential in the ground

• IP methods C1 P1 P2 C2

→direct electrical connection (electrodes)

→ flow of current switched off
→ decay of electrical potential
 Induced Polarisation
• Reconnaissance or deep IP surveys often use large current electrodes buried
in deep, saline-filled holes (Hence the benefit of electrode arrays where the
current electrodes do not need to be moved for each reading).

Small IP surveys often use

porous-pot type electrodes

(Telford, 1990)
IP Effect

IP-Effect: (below 1kHz or greater than 1 ms)

• If a DC current injected into the ground is abruptly switched

off, the voltage measured at the potential electrodes does
not immediately drop to zero!
C1 P1 P2 C2
IP Effect

charge time
Steady state voltage: Vp
(primary voltage)
IP effect
Residual voltage: Vs
(secondary voltage)
IP Effect – Sources

• Chemical energy is the main source of the IP

effect which is stored by subsurface structures in
two main ways:
Electrode polarisation (overvoltage) (~below 1kHz)
– Related to the transition between electrolytic and
electronic conduction at the interfaces between pore
fluids and metallic minerals in the rock
– Larger than the normal IP effect
– Requires presence of metallic minerals (or graphite)

Membrane polarisation (electrolytic) (~below 1Hz)

– Due to variations in the mobility of ions contained within pore fluids
– Called the “normal” IP effect
– May occur in rocks which contain no metallic minerals
IP Effect – Electrode Polarisation
Electrolytic conduction only
(no IP)

Electrode polarisation occurs when

electricity is conducted partly
electrolytically and partly electronically

Electrolytic and
electronic conduction

 When metallic mineral grains block the pore spaces in a rock, an

electrochemical barrier must be overcome in order for current to flow across
the grain surfaces
 Ions accumulate at grain surfaces and the grains become Polarised
 When the current flow is interrupted, ions return to their equilibrium
positions  voltage decay
IP Effect – Membrane Polarisation
• Many minerals (e.g. clays) have a net -ve charge at the
interface between mineral surface and pore fluid
• +ve ions are attracted to the surface and -ve ions
repelled
• Build-up of a layer (“cationic cloud”) of +ve ion concn
which may extend 1 mm into the pore fluid
(Equilibrium: No applied electrical field)
IP Effect – Membrane Polarisation

( Applied electrical field)

• Zone of +ve ion concn may extend 1 mm into pore fluid: if the pore has
diameter < 1 mm, then, when a voltage is applied, -ve ions will accumulate
on one side of the pore and leave the other
• When the voltage is removed, the ions return to their equilibrium positions
 voltage decay
• Membrane polarisation is largest when a rock contains clay materials
scattered through the matrix in small (~10%) concentrations and in which
the electrolyte has some salinity
 IP Effect – Sources
• In practice, it is not possible to Time-domain IP profile using a pole–dipole array
distinguish between membrane over the Gortdrum copper–silver body in Ireland
and electrode polarisations on
the basis of geophysical IP Chargeability Apparent resistivity
measurements
• Electrode polarisation depends
strongly on the surface area
• The IP method is more
sensitive to disseminated
conductors than to massive
ones
• This sets the IP method apart
from the DC resistivity and EM
(electromagnetic) methods,
which typically give a weak
response over a disseminated
target
(P. Kearey et al., 2007)
Time-Domain IP Measurements

• IP measurements can be made in either the

time-domain or frequency-domain (frequency-domain
IP won’t be covered today)

– An advantage of time-domain systems is that

measurements can be made over several
transmitter cycles and then averaged (or stacked).
This process reduces the effect of random noise.

• Current and potential electrodes are arranged

as for a normal DC resistivity survey

• In time-domain (TD) systems, the transmitter

Time-Domain IP Measurements

Typical transmitted and received waveforms in time-domain

Charging
time

Off-time
Time-Domain IP Measurements

• Effect of chargeable ground

University of British Columbia (UBC-GIF)

Time-Domain IP Measurements

• In time-domain IP, the main parameters used to present and interpret

data are apparent resistivity (ra) and chargeability (m)

• m is a macroscopic physical parameter which represents all of the

microscopic phenomena.
• The apparent resistivity is calculated as for DC resistivity using the
voltage measured before the transmitter is switched off (denoted Vp)
𝑉𝑃
VP depends on the “charging 𝜌𝑎 = 𝐾 K = geometric factor
time” 𝐼 (depends on electrode array)

• The measured Vp for a short charging time will be less than that
measured for a long charging time - this means that ra calculated for
a high frequency Tx waveform will be less than that for a low
frequency Tx waveform (the frequency-domain IP effect)
 Time-Domain IP – Chargeability

• The ratio Vs/Vp is called the chargeability (Units: millivolts per volt)

• In practice it is impossible to measure Vs (the voltage at current switch-off)

• Instead, after an initial delay (500 msec), the decay voltage is measured at a
series of (typically four) delay times.
• Measured voltages are then used to approximate the area under the decay curve
Time-Domain IP – Apparent Chargeability
• The apparent chargeability, ma, is defined by
tn


1
ma  V (t ) dt (Units: milliseconds)
Vp
t1
• where tn is the time corresponding to the last voltage
measurement (on the previous slide, n = 4) and V(t) is
the decay voltage at time t
• The apparent chargeability is the area under (part of)
the voltage decay curve, divided by the “primary”
voltage Vp
• In practice, the units are milliseconds (ms)
• The apparent chargeability depends on the actual
values of t1 and tn, and may be different for different
field instruments
Time-Domain IP – Apparent Chargeability
• The apparent chargeability, ma, is defined by
tn


1
ma  V (t ) dt (Units: milliseconds)
Vp
t1
• where tn is the time corresponding to the last voltage
measurement (on the previous slide, n = 4) and V(t) is
the decay voltage at time t
• The apparent chargeability is the area under (part of)
the voltage decay curve, divided by the “primary”
voltage Vp
• In practice, the units are milliseconds (ms)
• The apparent chargeability depends on the actual
values of t1 and tn, and may be different for different
field instruments