Neural network modeling and prediction of resistivity structures using VES Schlumberger data over a geothermal area

This paper presents the effects of several parameters on the artificial neural networks (ANN) inversion of vertical electrical sounding (VES) data. Sensitivity of ANN parameters was examined on the performance of adaptive backpropagation (ABP) and Levenberg–Marquardt algorithms (LMA) to test the robustness to noisy synthetic as well as field geophysical data and resolving capability of these methods for predicting the subsurface resistivity layers. We trained, tested and validated ANN using the synthetic VES data as input to the networks and layer parameters of the models as network output. ANN learning parameters are varied and corresponding observations are recorded. The sensitivity analysis of synthetic data and real model demonstrate that ANN algorithms applied in VES data inversion should be considered well not only in terms of accuracy but also in terms of high computational efforts. Also the analysis suggests that ANN model with its various controlling parameters are largely data dependent and hence no unique architecture can be designed for VES data analysis. ANN based methods are also applied to the actual VES field data obtained from the tectonically vital geothermal areas of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Analysis suggests that both the ABP and LMA are suitable methods for 1-D VES modeling. But the LMA method provides greater degree of robustness than the ABP in case of 2-D VES modeling. Comparison of the inversion results with known lithology correlates well and also reveals the additional significant feature of reconsolidated breccia of about 7.0 m thickness beneath the overburden in some cases like at sounding point RDC-5. We may therefore conclude that ANN based methods are significantly faster and efficient for detection of complex layered resistivity structures with a relatively greater degree of precision and resolution.