The airborne electromagnetic （AEM） method has a high sampling rate and survey flexibility. However, traditional numerical modeling approaches must use high-resolution physical grids to guarantee modeling accuracy, especially for complex geological structures such as anisotropic earth. This can lead to huge computational costs. To solve this problem, we propose a spectral-element （SE） method for 3D AEM anisotropic modeling, which combines the advantages of spectral and finite-element methods. Thus, the SE method has accuracy as high as that of the spectral method and the ability to model complex geology inherited from the finite-element method. The SE method can improve the modeling accuracy within discrete grids and reduce the dependence of modeling results on the grids. This helps achieve high-accuracy anisotropic AEM modeling. We first introduced a rotating tensor of anisotropic conductivity to Maxwell＇s equations and described the electrical field via SE basis functions based on GLL interpolation polynomials. We used the Galerkin weighted residual method to establish the linear equation system for the SE method, and we took a vertical magnetic dipole as the transmission source for our AEM modeling. We then applied fourth-order SE calculations with coarse physical grids to check the accuracy of our modeling results against a 1D semi-analytical solution for an anisotropic half-space model and verified the high accuracy of the SE. Moreover, we conducted AEM modeling for different anisotropic 3D abnormal bodies using two physical grid scales and three orders of SE to obtain the convergence conditions for different anisotropic abnormal bodies. Finally, we studied the identification of anisotropy for single anisotropic abnormal bodies, anisotropic surrounding rock, and single anisotropic abnormal body embedded in an anisotropic surrounding rock. This approach will play a key role in the inversion and interpretation of AEM data collected in regions with anisotropic geology.
Electrically anisotropic strata are abundant in nature, so their study can help our data interpretation and our understanding of the processes of geodynamics. However, current data processing generally assumes isotropic conditions when surveying anisotropic structures, which may cause discrepancies between reality and electromagnetic data interpretation. Moreover, the anisotropic interpretation of the time-domain airborne electromagnetic （TDAEM） method is still confined to one dimensional （1D） cases, and the corresponding three-dimensional （3D） numerical simulations are still in development. In this study, we expanded the 3D TDAEM modeling of arbitrarily anisotropic media. First, through coordinate rotation of isotropic conductivity, we obtained the conductivity tensor of an arbitrary anisotropic rock. Next, we incorporated this into Maxwell＇s equations, using a regular hexahedral grid of vector finite elements to subdivide the solution area. A direct solver software package provided the solution for the sparse linear equations that resulted. Analytical solutions were used to verify the accuracy and feasibility of the algorithm. The proven model was then applied to analyze the effects of arbitrary anisotropy in 3D TDAEM via the distribution of responses and amplitude changes, which revealed that different anisotropy situations strongly affected the responses of TDAEM.
