Time-frequency analysis on low-resistivity shielding layer in TEM soundings

The transient electromagnetic (TEM) method will be influenced by shielding effect of the low-resistivity overburden layer. By adopting the smooth pseudo Wigner-Ville distribution (SPWD), the responses simulated with a finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD) of D- and G-type models by a 2D line source and H-, A-, K- and Q-type models by a loop source are transformed to the time-frequency (T-F) plane. It is indicated that in low-resistivity, the TEM wave aggregates and will consume more energy, it transmits faster in high-resistivity layers but slower in low-resistivity ones. For A-type models widely in distribution of the North China type coalfield of our country, energy of the TEM field has been almost depleted when arriving at the bottom interface (interfaces of Ordovician limestone and coal series) during the TEM exploration in this area, influence of the low resistive shielding layer shall be taken into full consideration, and relatively longer observing time window shall be selected to ensure the detection depth and high-power instruments shall be adopted to increase the signal-noise ratio during construction design.