The Case for Considering Polarization in the Interpretation of Electrical and Electromagnetic Measurements in the 3 kHz to 3 MHz Frequency Range

Usually, in situ electrical polarization measurements (in geophysical prospection referred to as induced polarization or spectral induced polarization (SIP)) are carried out at frequencies below 1 kHz. These techniques have mainly been used for mining exploration, followed by a larger panel of environmental applications. However, in this ultra low and extremely low-frequency domain, the duration of each individual measurement is long, i.e., typically several tens of minutes for a single full SIP spectrum down to the mHz range. This restriction makes it unrealistic to implement high-density measurement mapping campaigns over large areas, which would otherwise be possible at higher frequencies. In the intermediate frequency range [3 kHz–3 MHz], laboratory studies of soil and rock samples have shown that they can be strongly polarized notably in the presence of clays, and this property has been confirmed by several in situ mapping experiments using electromagnetic induction in the time and frequency domains (FDEM and TDEM), as well as by an electrostatic method (often named capacitive-coupled resistivity or CCR). The present paper recalls these results in an effort to promote polarization measurements at intermediate frequencies and to emphasize the importance of measuring this phenomenon.